After Sunday's MotoGP shindig in suburban Barcelona, Spain, the 2013 season will be one third done. Most of that time, we have focused our attention on the three so-called Aliens - Yamaha stud Jorge Lorenzo, and Repsol Honda pilots Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez. These three guys have dominated the conversation all season, and rightfully so.

But the guy who has gotten the most from the least so far in 2013, without question, has been Monster Tech 3 Yamaha tough guy Cal Crutchlow. Who, this weekend, we have promoted to Alien-in-Waiting.

True, Crutchlow trails series leader Dani Pedrosa by 32 points and third place rookie Marc Marquez by six. But there has been, and continues to be, a serious difference in the capability of Crutchlow's satellite Yamaha versus those of the satellite Hondas, which are essentially factory spec bikes with different paint jobs and tighter budgets. LCR Honda's Stefan Bradl and Gresini Honda's Alvaro Bautista are riding the same bikes as Pedrosa and Marquez. Crutchlow and teammate Bradley Smith, on the other hand, would have a hard time keeping up with the factory rides enjoyed by Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi, as they are basically running a generation behind.

After Sunday's MotoGP shindig in suburban Barcelona, Spain, the 2013 season will be one third done. Most of that time, we have focused our attention on the three so-called Aliens - Yamaha stud Jorge Lorenzo, and Repsol Honda pilots Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez. These three guys have dominated the conversation all season, and rightfully so.

But the guy who has gotten the most from the least so far in 2013, without question, has been Monster Tech 3 Yamaha tough guy Cal Crutchlow. Who, this weekend, we have promoted to Alien-in-Waiting.

True, Crutchlow trails series leader Dani Pedrosa by 32 points and third place rookie Marc Marquez by six. But there has been, and continues to be, a serious difference in the capability of Crutchlow's satellite Yamaha versus those of the satellite Hondas, which are essentially factory spec bikes with different paint jobs and tighter budgets. LCR Honda's Stefan Bradl and Gresini Honda's Alvaro Bautista are riding the same bikes as Pedrosa and Marquez. Crutchlow and teammate Bradley Smith, on the other hand, would have a hard time keeping up with the factory rides enjoyed by Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi, as they are basically running a generation behind.

The start of today's race will be heavily replayed for the next few weeks, as Lorenzo and Pedrosa seemed to swap paint in the first turn, with no harm and no foul. But in the second turn, Alvaro Bautista, on the FUN&GO Gresini Honda, changing direction, drifted into Rossi, sending both riders into the tires and hay bales at speed, with Rossi's airbag going off, his day, and possibly his season, ruined. The fans were incensed, Rossi looked stunned sitting in his garage, and Bautista looked, as they used to say in the Southwest Airlines commercials, like he wanted to get away.

Last year, Bautista did basically the same thing to Lorenzo at Assen, though that incident looked more careless than this one, which seemed to be what I call Limited Spatial Awareness on Bautista's part, what other people might call a low racing IQ. (When near him in a crowd, the other riders must feel the terror I feel approaching an intersection opposite a young woman in a 6,000 lb. SUV talking animatedly on a cell phone the size of a Chiclet.) And while Lorenzo went on to win the 2012 title anyway, today's incident took the pins out from under any remaining hopes Rossi might have entertained about finishing the season in the top three. With 30 points and three riders between him and third place, it seems like a lot to ask.

The start of today's race will be heavily replayed for the next few weeks, as Lorenzo and Pedrosa seemed to swap paint in the first turn, with no harm and no foul. But in the second turn, Alvaro Bautista, on the FUN&GO Gresini Honda, changing direction, drifted into Rossi, sending both riders into the tires and hay bales at speed, with Rossi's airbag going off, his day, and possibly his season, ruined. The fans were incensed, Rossi looked stunned sitting in his garage, and Bautista looked, as they used to say in the Southwest Airlines commercials, like he wanted to get away.

Last year, Bautista did basically the same thing to Lorenzo at Assen, though that incident looked more careless than this one, which seemed to be what I call Limited Spatial Awareness on Bautista's part, what other people might call a low racing IQ. (When near him in a crowd, the other riders must feel the terror I feel approaching an intersection opposite a young woman in a 6,000 lb. SUV talking animatedly on a cell phone the size of a Chiclet.) And while Lorenzo went on to win the 2012 title anyway, today's incident took the pins out from under any remaining hopes Rossi might have entertained about finishing the season in the top three. With 30 points and three riders between him and third place, it seems like a lot to ask.

As Round Five of the 2013 MotoGP championship season steams toward us, the very air crackling in its wake, we are reminded of one of the oldest truths in motorsports. We are reminded that championships are rarely won in the first quarter of the season. They can, however, be lost. Such is the inconvenient truth facing Yamaha pilots Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi this weekend at the circuit that will almost surely bear Rossi's name one day.

For Team Yamaha, finishing one-two at Mugello would be like holding serve-good, but nothing to really celebrate. Anything less will range from a disappointment to a disaster, neither of which would be helpful at this point of this season. Or, actually, any point. Of any season. Not helpful at all.

As Round Five of the 2013 MotoGP championship season steams toward us, the very air crackling in its wake, we are reminded of one of the oldest truths in motorsports. We are reminded that championships are rarely won in the first quarter of the season. They can, however, be lost. Such is the inconvenient truth facing Yamaha pilots Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi this weekend at the circuit that will almost surely bear Rossi's name one day.

For Team Yamaha, finishing one-two at Mugello would be like holding serve-good, but nothing to really celebrate. Anything less will range from a disappointment to a disaster, neither of which would be helpful at this point of this season. Or, actually, any point. Of any season. Not helpful at all.

But when the red lights went out, it was Pedrosa who dropped the hammer on his rivals, won the race, and put himself in the lead for the 2013 world championship. Bravo, Dani!

About 80,000 soaked French spectators received more shocks today than a nun in a cucumber patch:

For the second year in a row, the race was run in the rain. Last year, Lorenzo ran away from the field to win for the third time in four tries in France. The Mallorcan started well today, dogging race leader Andrea Dovizioso and his red Ducati for two laps before dropping like a stone for a dozen laps to as far back as ninth place on Lap 17. He would ultimately finish seventh behind Fun & Go Honda slacker Alvaro Bautista, for God's sake. He later said he was hampered with set-up problems that left him little confidence in his rear tire. Whatever it was, it left him with a nine point day, buried in third place for the year. Not exactly a momentum booster heading to Mugello in two weeks.

But when the red lights went out, it was Pedrosa who dropped the hammer on his rivals, won the race, and put himself in the lead for the 2013 world championship. Bravo, Dani!

About 80,000 soaked French spectators received more shocks today than a nun in a cucumber patch:

For the second year in a row, the race was run in the rain. Last year, Lorenzo ran away from the field to win for the third time in four tries in France. The Mallorcan started well today, dogging race leader Andrea Dovizioso and his red Ducati for two laps before dropping like a stone for a dozen laps to as far back as ninth place on Lap 17. He would ultimately finish seventh behind Fun & Go Honda slacker Alvaro Bautista, for God's sake. He later said he was hampered with set-up problems that left him little confidence in his rear tire. Whatever it was, it left him with a nine point day, buried in third place for the year. Not exactly a momentum booster heading to Mugello in two weeks.

As the fastest sport on two wheels heads into France for Round Four, one thing is certain - the stakes for the 2013 championship are higher than they've been in years. The Repsol Honda team of Dani Pedrosa and rookie sensation Marc Marquez has youth and speed going for it. The factory Yamaha duo of defending champion Jorge Lorenzo and prodigal veteran Valentino Rossi has consistency and experience in its corner. And while it's not quite the fabled Tortoise and the Hare, the analogy works.

Sure, rookie Marquez has been setting the world on fire thus far. And sure, Dani Pedrosa came through in Jerez when he really needed a win, aided by an assist from his young wingman. Lorenzo, though, is a double world champion, and Rossi, who is still getting used to the factory M1 on which he dominated the game for years, has another seven premier class trophies lying around his man cave back in Italy. It's just too early in the season to suggest that this is Marquez's year, or Pedrosa's year, or even Honda's year.

As the fastest sport on two wheels heads into France for Round Four, one thing is certain - the stakes for the 2013 championship are higher than they've been in years. The Repsol Honda team of Dani Pedrosa and rookie sensation Marc Marquez has youth and speed going for it. The factory Yamaha duo of defending champion Jorge Lorenzo and prodigal veteran Valentino Rossi has consistency and experience in its corner. And while it's not quite the fabled Tortoise and the Hare, the analogy works.

Sure, rookie Marquez has been setting the world on fire thus far. And sure, Dani Pedrosa came through in Jerez when he really needed a win, aided by an assist from his young wingman. Lorenzo, though, is a double world champion, and Rossi, who is still getting used to the factory M1 on which he dominated the game for years, has another seven premier class trophies lying around his man cave back in Italy. It's just too early in the season to suggest that this is Marquez's year, or Pedrosa's year, or even Honda's year.

By all rights, defending champion Jorge Lorenzo should have had a more satisfying result today. He turned 26 on Saturday, and celebrated by having Turn 13 named in his honor. He had been at or near the top of the timesheets all weekend and qualified on the pole. While everyone around him spent Saturday crashing into the gravel, Lorenzo ran as if on rails. In the stifling Spanish heat on Sunday, though, it was Dani Pedrosa who had the pace. After a poor start, Lorenzo moved back into the early lead on Lap 1 and held it until Lap 6, when Pedrosa passed him on his way to a comfortable win.

By then, Lorenzo was getting dogged by rookie Marquez, who showed no respect going through aggressively on Rossi on Lap 2, with Crutchlow sitting in 5th place hoping for bad karma among the leaders. As the race approached its midpoint, Marquez was attacking Lorenzo at every opportunity, slipping, sliding and generally causing heart failure among the team and his ever-present dad. After one of those "moments" on Lap 12, the rookie backed off, appearing content to settle for the third spot on the rostrum. The race at that point devolved into another of those premier class processions most everyone hates, other than the 111,000 locals in attendance going mental over the prospect of an all-Spanish rostrum.

As the riders crossed the start/finish line for the last time, Marquez re-appeared on Lorenzo's pipes. Lorenzo, who had struggled all day with front grip, appeared to be in trouble, but continued blocking Marquez, other than a momentary exchange of positions around Turn 6.

By all rights, defending champion Jorge Lorenzo should have had a more satisfying result today. He turned 26 on Saturday, and celebrated by having Turn 13 named in his honor. He had been at or near the top of the timesheets all weekend and qualified on the pole. While everyone around him spent Saturday crashing into the gravel, Lorenzo ran as if on rails. In the stifling Spanish heat on Sunday, though, it was Dani Pedrosa who had the pace. After a poor start, Lorenzo moved back into the early lead on Lap 1 and held it until Lap 6, when Pedrosa passed him on his way to a comfortable win.

By then, Lorenzo was getting dogged by rookie Marquez, who showed no respect going through aggressively on Rossi on Lap 2, with Crutchlow sitting in 5th place hoping for bad karma among the leaders. As the race approached its midpoint, Marquez was attacking Lorenzo at every opportunity, slipping, sliding and generally causing heart failure among the team and his ever-present dad. After one of those "moments" on Lap 12, the rookie backed off, appearing content to settle for the third spot on the rostrum. The race at that point devolved into another of those premier class processions most everyone hates, other than the 111,000 locals in attendance going mental over the prospect of an all-Spanish rostrum.

As the riders crossed the start/finish line for the last time, Marquez re-appeared on Lorenzo's pipes. Lorenzo, who had struggled all day with front grip, appeared to be in trouble, but continued blocking Marquez, other than a momentary exchange of positions around Turn 6.

Suddenly, everyone else on the grid looks old, slow and uptight. Each time he's interviewed, Marquez comes across as a happy, humble, regular kind of guy. Watching him come up through the 125s and Moto2, like a hot knife through butter, you got the clear impression he was going to be successful one day in the premier class.

In only his second race onboard the Honda RC213V, he has now come of age, at a track he is liable to dominate for the next decade. In so doing, he has become my favorite to win the 2013 world championship. Not to mention having eclipsed a record which had stood since 1982, when then Honda rookie Freddie Spencer won the Belgian Grand Prix at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.

Suddenly, everyone else on the grid looks old, slow and uptight. Each time he's interviewed, Marquez comes across as a happy, humble, regular kind of guy. Watching him come up through the 125s and Moto2, like a hot knife through butter, you got the clear impression he was going to be successful one day in the premier class.

In only his second race onboard the Honda RC213V, he has now come of age, at a track he is liable to dominate for the next decade. In so doing, he has become my favorite to win the 2013 world championship. Not to mention having eclipsed a record which had stood since 1982, when then Honda rookie Freddie Spencer won the Belgian Grand Prix at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.

For the first time ever, MotoGP invades The Lone Star State for Round 2 of the 2013 season at Circuit of the Americas. The last time the best riders on Earth attacked a new track - Silverstone in 2010 - the results were pretty random. With Team Yamaha having drawn first blood over the Repsol Hondas in Qatar, Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez need to punch back right now. The COTA track, which, from the air, resembles a cross between a fire axe and a can opener, looks like a good place to get it going.

Running counterclockwise, also the custom at Laguna Seca and Indianapolis, riders start the race with an uphill run into a sharp lefthander, which then gives way to a fast section leading to Turns 6 and 7, where things slow down. Turn 11 is a 1st gear lefthander as severe as any corner anywhere. The section between Turns 12 and 18 is tight and slow, appearing very Honda-friendly. From 18, two easy lefts bring the riders back to the main straight. There's a difference of 133 feet from the low point to the top of Turn 1. Bridgestone is bringing asymmetric rears, owing to the number of fast right-handers. At 3.4 miles, COTA is one of the longer tracks we see, meaning the riders won't get too many chances to lap during this year's 15 minute qualifying sessions.

Yamaha aces Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi, along with Marquez, Pedrosa and LCR Honda pilot Stefan Bradl, are the only riders who have spent any real time at COTA, with Marquez and Pedrosa having enjoyed a considerable advantage over their bluish rivals. Yamaha brass claims to have made significant adjustments to the M1's since the testing back in March, but, regardless, the many slow turns will favor the Hondas.

For the first time ever, MotoGP invades The Lone Star State for Round 2 of the 2013 season at Circuit of the Americas. The last time the best riders on Earth attacked a new track - Silverstone in 2010 - the results were pretty random. With Team Yamaha having drawn first blood over the Repsol Hondas in Qatar, Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez need to punch back right now. The COTA track, which, from the air, resembles a cross between a fire axe and a can opener, looks like a good place to get it going.

Running counterclockwise, also the custom at Laguna Seca and Indianapolis, riders start the race with an uphill run into a sharp lefthander, which then gives way to a fast section leading to Turns 6 and 7, where things slow down. Turn 11 is a 1st gear lefthander as severe as any corner anywhere. The section between Turns 12 and 18 is tight and slow, appearing very Honda-friendly. From 18, two easy lefts bring the riders back to the main straight. There's a difference of 133 feet from the low point to the top of Turn 1. Bridgestone is bringing asymmetric rears, owing to the number of fast right-handers. At 3.4 miles, COTA is one of the longer tracks we see, meaning the riders won't get too many chances to lap during this year's 15 minute qualifying sessions.

Yamaha aces Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi, along with Marquez, Pedrosa and LCR Honda pilot Stefan Bradl, are the only riders who have spent any real time at COTA, with Marquez and Pedrosa having enjoyed a considerable advantage over their bluish rivals. Yamaha brass claims to have made significant adjustments to the M1's since the testing back in March, but, regardless, the many slow turns will favor the Hondas.

The new qualifying format , the Q1 preliminaries and the Q2 finale, resulted in an odd starting grid. It included satellite Yamaha Brit Cal Crutchlow in second position, ahead of Pedrosa, whose weekend was basically terrible. Qualifying in fourth on the Ducati - surprise surprise - was Andrea Dovizioso, while the best Marquez could manage was sixth. Rossi starting in seventh place was more disappointing than surprising.

At the start, with 24 bikes on the grid, it looked like a Moto2 race on steroids. Lorenzo held his lead in turn one, stayed clean, put 20 meters between himself and the field, and began laying down sub-1:56 laps one after another in a fashion Nick the Announcer characterized as "metronomic." I might have chosen "piston-like."

The new qualifying format , the Q1 preliminaries and the Q2 finale, resulted in an odd starting grid. It included satellite Yamaha Brit Cal Crutchlow in second position, ahead of Pedrosa, whose weekend was basically terrible. Qualifying in fourth on the Ducati - surprise surprise - was Andrea Dovizioso, while the best Marquez could manage was sixth. Rossi starting in seventh place was more disappointing than surprising.

At the start, with 24 bikes on the grid, it looked like a Moto2 race on steroids. Lorenzo held his lead in turn one, stayed clean, put 20 meters between himself and the field, and began laying down sub-1:56 laps one after another in a fashion Nick the Announcer characterized as "metronomic." I might have chosen "piston-like."

When last we left our brave young men, Jorge Lorenzo captured his second MotoGP World Championship, the previous champion Casey Stoner retired, Dani Pedrosa his best ever season in the premiere class but still felt short to his fellow Spaniard, and Valentino Rossi sleepwalked his way through the end of his tenure with Ducati.

Fast forward several months to this weekend's season opener under the lights of Doha, Qatar, and the MotoGP landscape has changed considerably.

Lorenzo remains the man to beat, and now he's joined once again at Yamaha by Rossi. Stoner's spot with Honda has been filled with hot-shot rookie Marc Marquez joining the returning Pedrosa. And Ducati? The Italian manufacturer has a ways to go, now with backing from its new German owners at Audi.

When last we left our brave young men, Jorge Lorenzo captured his second MotoGP World Championship, the previous champion Casey Stoner retired, Dani Pedrosa his best ever season in the premiere class but still felt short to his fellow Spaniard, and Valentino Rossi sleepwalked his way through the end of his tenure with Ducati.

Fast forward several months to this weekend's season opener under the lights of Doha, Qatar, and the MotoGP landscape has changed considerably.

Lorenzo remains the man to beat, and now he's joined once again at Yamaha by Rossi. Stoner's spot with Honda has been filled with hot-shot rookie Marc Marquez joining the returning Pedrosa. And Ducati? The Italian manufacturer has a ways to go, now with backing from its new German owners at Audi.

This recently changed for me as I've temporarily relocated to Chicago, where frigid temps freeze Midwestern lakes. And frozen lakes aren't just for ice fishing. Winter be damned, this California kid is going to ride motorcycles - with spiked tires - on the ice. Not only that, we're gonna race, too!

The chosen venue to compete would be the 18th Annual Steel Shoe Fund three-hour endurance race, held the third Sunday in January. The course for this event isn't the more common flat-track style race with only left turns; this track runs roadrace style, with both rights and lefts, adding a lot of variety. Second, the three-hour format ensured plenty of riding time.

This recently changed for me as I've temporarily relocated to Chicago, where frigid temps freeze Midwestern lakes. And frozen lakes aren't just for ice fishing. Winter be damned, this California kid is going to ride motorcycles - with spiked tires - on the ice. Not only that, we're gonna race, too!

The chosen venue to compete would be the 18th Annual Steel Shoe Fund three-hour endurance race, held the third Sunday in January. The course for this event isn't the more common flat-track style race with only left turns; this track runs roadrace style, with both rights and lefts, adding a lot of variety. Second, the three-hour format ensured plenty of riding time.

The reason we have this YZ is because fellow editor Tom Roderick and I entered ourselves in the Steel Shoe Fund 3-hour Endurance race held on a frozen Kettle Moraine Lake in Campbellsport, Wisconsin, which you can read about soon in a future story. And we were fortunate enough to have Yamaha step up and provide us with a potent weapon for this event.

The reason we have this YZ is because fellow editor Tom Roderick and I entered ourselves in the Steel Shoe Fund 3-hour Endurance race held on a frozen Kettle Moraine Lake in Campbellsport, Wisconsin, which you can read about soon in a future story. And we were fortunate enough to have Yamaha step up and provide us with a potent weapon for this event.

Chad Reed was back after suffering a season-ending injury in Dallas last season as he battled for the title. Ryan Dungey is also considered a major threat, having given KTM several wins last season. Dungey and KTM also created a lot of excitement in the pits when they showed up to Anaheim Stadium with an air shock that they kept very tight lipped about. Then there was also the return of James Stewart after recovering from injuries, and many expected he would maintain his win-or-crash style that has brought him so much success and so much pain. But few could have predicted how the main event would turn out.

The track design was rather unusual in the fact that it had a lot of step-faced obstacles that broke up the rhythm. Combined with smaller-than-normal whoops and wide bowl turns, the course built by Rich Winkler and his Dirt Wurx crew provided a lot of passing opportunities.

Chad Reed was back after suffering a season-ending injury in Dallas last season as he battled for the title. Ryan Dungey is also considered a major threat, having given KTM several wins last season. Dungey and KTM also created a lot of excitement in the pits when they showed up to Anaheim Stadium with an air shock that they kept very tight lipped about. Then there was also the return of James Stewart after recovering from injuries, and many expected he would maintain his win-or-crash style that has brought him so much success and so much pain. But few could have predicted how the main event would turn out.

The track design was rather unusual in the fact that it had a lot of step-faced obstacles that broke up the rhythm. Combined with smaller-than-normal whoops and wide bowl turns, the course built by Rich Winkler and his Dirt Wurx crew provided a lot of passing opportunities.

Valencia was the fourth race of the season in which the rostrum featured the two Repsol Honda pilots, Pedrosa and the retiring Casey Stoner, flanking a factory Yamaha rider. In each of the previous three - Jerez, Estroril and Laguna Seca - that rider was Jorge Lorenzo, who was today gunning for his 17th podium of the season.

Having clinched the 2012 championship last time out in Australia, it was the only goal left for him today, but it was a biggie, an all-timer that might have stood for years. Today, however, the man in second place was Katsuyuki Nakasuga, the factory test rider assigned to take the injured Ben Spies' seat for the finale.

To understand how this came to pass, we direct your attention to the fourth sentence of our preview article of Round One in Qatar back in April:

Valencia was the fourth race of the season in which the rostrum featured the two Repsol Honda pilots, Pedrosa and the retiring Casey Stoner, flanking a factory Yamaha rider. In each of the previous three - Jerez, Estroril and Laguna Seca - that rider was Jorge Lorenzo, who was today gunning for his 17th podium of the season.

Having clinched the 2012 championship last time out in Australia, it was the only goal left for him today, but it was a biggie, an all-timer that might have stood for years. Today, however, the man in second place was Katsuyuki Nakasuga, the factory test rider assigned to take the injured Ben Spies' seat for the finale.

To understand how this came to pass, we direct your attention to the fourth sentence of our preview article of Round One in Qatar back in April:

When factory Yamaha stud Jorge Lorenzo clinched the 2012 championship last time out in Australia, most of the air went out of the MotoGP balloon. Most, but not all. This weekend, Valencia's Circuit Ricardo Tormo hosts the final round of a season marked by some stellar individual performances. MotoGP has entered a period of radical change.

In the second decade of the 21st century, MotoGP finds itself, like Tennyson's Light Brigade, facing cannon to the left, cannon to the right, and, yes, cannon in front of them. The economics of the sport have become unsustainable, the result being two classes of competitors - The Haves, riding factory prototype bikes at about a million bucks a pop, and the Have Nots, the CRT teams, riding machines glued together from a variety of manufacturers' components.

Critics abound. The racing elite, ranging from brass at Honda and Yamaha to the hired help - paging Valentino Rossi - object to the dilution of the product, the dumbing down of the sport, caused by allowing the CRTs on the grid. The pragmatists at the other end of the spectrum, cloaked in the vestments of reason and sound economics, believe the trend, ultimately, will produce a big old grid - 30 or 40 entries - all of which will be Frankenbikes, with more and better wheel-to-wheel competition. Somewhat surprisingly, Dorna boss of bosses Carmelo Ezpeleta sits in the latter camp, apparently more interested in holding on to his job than protecting the sanctity of "grand prix racing", whatever that is anymore.

When factory Yamaha stud Jorge Lorenzo clinched the 2012 championship last time out in Australia, most of the air went out of the MotoGP balloon. Most, but not all. This weekend, Valencia's Circuit Ricardo Tormo hosts the final round of a season marked by some stellar individual performances. MotoGP has entered a period of radical change.

In the second decade of the 21st century, MotoGP finds itself, like Tennyson's Light Brigade, facing cannon to the left, cannon to the right, and, yes, cannon in front of them. The economics of the sport have become unsustainable, the result being two classes of competitors - The Haves, riding factory prototype bikes at about a million bucks a pop, and the Have Nots, the CRT teams, riding machines glued together from a variety of manufacturers' components.

Critics abound. The racing elite, ranging from brass at Honda and Yamaha to the hired help - paging Valentino Rossi - object to the dilution of the product, the dumbing down of the sport, caused by allowing the CRTs on the grid. The pragmatists at the other end of the spectrum, cloaked in the vestments of reason and sound economics, believe the trend, ultimately, will produce a big old grid - 30 or 40 entries - all of which will be Frankenbikes, with more and better wheel-to-wheel competition. Somewhat surprisingly, Dorna boss of bosses Carmelo Ezpeleta sits in the latter camp, apparently more interested in holding on to his job than protecting the sanctity of "grand prix racing", whatever that is anymore.

In front of 53,000 delirious fans, Casey Stoner, as is his wont, ran away from the field for his sixth consecutive premier class win in Australia. Being the fastest rider on the fastest bike at the fastest track on the tour, there was little question that Stoner would go out in grand style in front of his homeys. He was at the top of every single timesheet all weekend and never seriously threatened during the race itself. Although he didn't enjoy a great start, he oozed past Lorenzo on a decisive second lap into the lead and ended up winning by some nine seconds.

Want a good definition of the word "dominant"? Over the last six years at Phillip Island, Casey Stoner led 160 of 162 laps. Does that constitute perhaps the greatest home field advantage in the history of sports? Tough question. But the only good news about Stoner's impending retirement - I read he's moving on to automobile racing starting next year - is that someone else will have a chance to stand at the top of the podium next year at Phillip Island.

In front of 53,000 delirious fans, Casey Stoner, as is his wont, ran away from the field for his sixth consecutive premier class win in Australia. Being the fastest rider on the fastest bike at the fastest track on the tour, there was little question that Stoner would go out in grand style in front of his homeys. He was at the top of every single timesheet all weekend and never seriously threatened during the race itself. Although he didn't enjoy a great start, he oozed past Lorenzo on a decisive second lap into the lead and ended up winning by some nine seconds.

Want a good definition of the word "dominant"? Over the last six years at Phillip Island, Casey Stoner led 160 of 162 laps. Does that constitute perhaps the greatest home field advantage in the history of sports? Tough question. But the only good news about Stoner's impending retirement - I read he's moving on to automobile racing starting next year - is that someone else will have a chance to stand at the top of the podium next year at Phillip Island.

Round 17 of the 2012 MotoGP championship tour rolls into southern Australia for the annual "Watch Ol' Casey Win Another", otherwise known as the AirAsia Australian Grand Prix. This year, attendance is expected to balloon for the newly renamed "Last Chance to Watch Ol' Casey Win Another." And while Repsol Honda front man Dani Pedrosa and factory Yamaha regent Jorge Lorenzo slug it out for the world championship, most eyes will be on Stoner as he goes for his sixth consecutive, and final, win at Phillip Island.

It would have been nice if Stoner, who retires at the end of this season, had been in the mix for this year's title as the tour returned to his home base. Unfortunately, due to his impressive high side at Indianapolis and subsequent ankle surgery, such will not be the case on Sunday. Sure, there are probably a couple of Australian rules footballers and Olympic butterflyers who are better known Down Under than is Stoner. But across the world, he is one of the most recognizable figures in motorsports, and MotoGP will miss him. I join the thousands of his countrymen who will be there on Sunday to see Stoner come through for them one last time.

Round 17 of the 2012 MotoGP championship tour rolls into southern Australia for the annual "Watch Ol' Casey Win Another", otherwise known as the AirAsia Australian Grand Prix. This year, attendance is expected to balloon for the newly renamed "Last Chance to Watch Ol' Casey Win Another." And while Repsol Honda front man Dani Pedrosa and factory Yamaha regent Jorge Lorenzo slug it out for the world championship, most eyes will be on Stoner as he goes for his sixth consecutive, and final, win at Phillip Island.

It would have been nice if Stoner, who retires at the end of this season, had been in the mix for this year's title as the tour returned to his home base. Unfortunately, due to his impressive high side at Indianapolis and subsequent ankle surgery, such will not be the case on Sunday. Sure, there are probably a couple of Australian rules footballers and Olympic butterflyers who are better known Down Under than is Stoner. But across the world, he is one of the most recognizable figures in motorsports, and MotoGP will miss him. I join the thousands of his countrymen who will be there on Sunday to see Stoner come through for them one last time.

In between, Repsol Honda bantamweight Dani Pedrosa claimed another victory, joined on the podium by Yamaha enforcer Jorge Lorenzo and Repsol's Casey Stoner, who appeared sufficiently tuned up to compete for his sixth consecutive Australian GP title next weekend at Phillip Island. Pedrosa shaved another five points off Lorenzo's championship lead, which now stands at 23 points with two races to go. The breathless writers at MotoGP.com would have you believe that the race couldn't get any tighter or more exciting. The truth is, if Lorenzo beats Pedrosa next week, he will clinch the 2012 title and render Valencia moot. Other than that, it's as close as can be.

Today's race was the story of the 2012 season in miniature: Lorenzo and Pedrosa, and everyone else. Despite not having raced at Sepang since 2009, Pedrosa was fast all weekend in dry practice sessions. Most of the prototype riders blew off FP2, the only practice session held in the wet. Lorenzo was sharp, too, as were Stoner and the Tech 3 Yamaha duo of Andrea Dovizioso and Cal Crutchlow. But there had been essentially no practice time in wet conditions, conditions on Sunday having become so bad that the warm-up practice was scrubbed altogether.

In between, Repsol Honda bantamweight Dani Pedrosa claimed another victory, joined on the podium by Yamaha enforcer Jorge Lorenzo and Repsol's Casey Stoner, who appeared sufficiently tuned up to compete for his sixth consecutive Australian GP title next weekend at Phillip Island. Pedrosa shaved another five points off Lorenzo's championship lead, which now stands at 23 points with two races to go. The breathless writers at MotoGP.com would have you believe that the race couldn't get any tighter or more exciting. The truth is, if Lorenzo beats Pedrosa next week, he will clinch the 2012 title and render Valencia moot. Other than that, it's as close as can be.

Today's race was the story of the 2012 season in miniature: Lorenzo and Pedrosa, and everyone else. Despite not having raced at Sepang since 2009, Pedrosa was fast all weekend in dry practice sessions. Most of the prototype riders blew off FP2, the only practice session held in the wet. Lorenzo was sharp, too, as were Stoner and the Tech 3 Yamaha duo of Andrea Dovizioso and Cal Crutchlow. But there had been essentially no practice time in wet conditions, conditions on Sunday having become so bad that the warm-up practice was scrubbed altogether.

Americans have been racing motorcycles around oval fairground dirt tracks almost as long as there have been motorcycles. It continues to this day barely changed from its dusty past. Meanwhile, circuit racing on asphalt tracks gets most of the contemporary glory with race fans.

To reintroduce ourselves with good ol' dirt-track action, we headed to the AMA Pro Grand National Championship season finale at the L.A. County Fairplex in Pomona, California. Not unexpectedly, the on-track action on the half-mile "cushion" track (where dirt builds up on the outside of the corners) was intense, with blazing corner-entrance speeds that looked like sure crashes in the making but almost never were.

"I had no idea they would be hitting the speeds that they did, and the first thing that I thought about was how much it was like the motorcycle version of a rallycross," raved our photo/video expert Mike Maez after his first taste of dirt-tracking.

Americans have been racing motorcycles around oval fairground dirt tracks almost as long as there have been motorcycles. It continues to this day barely changed from its dusty past. Meanwhile, circuit racing on asphalt tracks gets most of the contemporary glory with race fans.

To reintroduce ourselves with good ol' dirt-track action, we headed to the AMA Pro Grand National Championship season finale at the L.A. County Fairplex in Pomona, California. Not unexpectedly, the on-track action on the half-mile "cushion" track (where dirt builds up on the outside of the corners) was intense, with blazing corner-entrance speeds that looked like sure crashes in the making but almost never were.

"I had no idea they would be hitting the speeds that they did, and the first thing that I thought about was how much it was like the motorcycle version of a rallycross," raved our photo/video expert Mike Maez after his first taste of dirt-tracking.

Even with Repsol Honda's dogged Dani Pedrosa driving the RC213V like a world champion, trailing series leader Jorge Lorenzo by 28 points with three rounds to go, the 2012 championship race is not as close as it seems. A crash out of the points by either will decide the title in an instant or put it completely up for grabs. But if no one crashes, Lorenzo wins.

Those of us rooting for a gripping finale in Valenciana in November will continue to send bad karma toward Lorenzo. Those in the "Let the Best Man Win" school are hoping to see the two of them pull into the Ricardo Tormo Circuit within a half dozen points of each other, qualify on the front row, and let it rip all day, teeth bared, wheels touching, taking it down to the last turn of the last lap.

If Lorenzo can manage to appear on the podium each round for the rest of the season, he will clinch his second MotoGP title. The worst he could do each week, assuming Pedrosa wins, is to give up nine points by finishing third. Do that three times and you win the title by a one.

Even with Repsol Honda's dogged Dani Pedrosa driving the RC213V like a world champion, trailing series leader Jorge Lorenzo by 28 points with three rounds to go, the 2012 championship race is not as close as it seems. A crash out of the points by either will decide the title in an instant or put it completely up for grabs. But if no one crashes, Lorenzo wins.

Those of us rooting for a gripping finale in Valenciana in November will continue to send bad karma toward Lorenzo. Those in the "Let the Best Man Win" school are hoping to see the two of them pull into the Ricardo Tormo Circuit within a half dozen points of each other, qualify on the front row, and let it rip all day, teeth bared, wheels touching, taking it down to the last turn of the last lap.

If Lorenzo can manage to appear on the podium each round for the rest of the season, he will clinch his second MotoGP title. The worst he could do each week, assuming Pedrosa wins, is to give up nine points by finishing third. Do that three times and you win the title by a one.

After today's race, Pedrosa had relatively little to celebrate. Sure, he stuck like glue to Lorenzo at the start, refusing to fold when the Yamaha chieftain attempted to abscond with the race in the early going. Sure, he went through on Lorenzo mid-way through the race and ended up winning comfortably. Sure, he was sufficiently composed during the post-race press conference to discuss "how to control the gap" over Lorenzo once he had gone through. This is a man near the top of his trade. Excruciatingly near.

Five wins in eight rounds, including four of the last five and two in a row at Motegi for one of the hottest streaks in recent history. Pedrosa scored his first win of the season at Sachsenring, which narrowed Lorenzo's lead to 14 points. And yet, despite Pedrosa's recent run, the deficit has doubled to 28 points, thanks in large part to Pedrosa's DNF at Misano.

Dani Pedrosa, then, shares the misfortune of numerous athletes whose signature year occurs during someone else's signature year, and who generally become footnotes to history. Fortunately for him, MotoGP doesn't have thousands of great former riders, and Pedrosa will undoubtedly end up as one of the top 10 or 15 of all time. All of which he would, I'm sure, trade for a single world title in the premier class. One that, again, doesn't appear likely to happen in 2012.

After today's race, Pedrosa had relatively little to celebrate. Sure, he stuck like glue to Lorenzo at the start, refusing to fold when the Yamaha chieftain attempted to abscond with the race in the early going. Sure, he went through on Lorenzo mid-way through the race and ended up winning comfortably. Sure, he was sufficiently composed during the post-race press conference to discuss "how to control the gap" over Lorenzo once he had gone through. This is a man near the top of his trade. Excruciatingly near.

Five wins in eight rounds, including four of the last five and two in a row at Motegi for one of the hottest streaks in recent history. Pedrosa scored his first win of the season at Sachsenring, which narrowed Lorenzo's lead to 14 points. And yet, despite Pedrosa's recent run, the deficit has doubled to 28 points, thanks in large part to Pedrosa's DNF at Misano.

Dani Pedrosa, then, shares the misfortune of numerous athletes whose signature year occurs during someone else's signature year, and who generally become footnotes to history. Fortunately for him, MotoGP doesn't have thousands of great former riders, and Pedrosa will undoubtedly end up as one of the top 10 or 15 of all time. All of which he would, I'm sure, trade for a single world title in the premier class. One that, again, doesn't appear likely to happen in 2012.

It is with divided loyalties that MotoGP blows into The Land of the Rising Sun for the first round of its annual three-round Pacific swing. Fans excited by the prospect of a meaningful final tilt, a Game 7, in Valencia are virtually forced to project bad karma at factory Yamaha numero uno Jorge Lorenzo. Unless he suffers some major misfortune, it will be almost impossible for him not to clinch the 2012 championship before returning to Spain in November.

In my half-baked Theory of MotoGP, the numbers are working so hard against Repsol Honda hope Dani Pedrosa that he will be forced to press. In order to have a thought of knocking off Lorenzo in Valencia, Pedrosa must virtually run the table. Win three rounds and place at Phillip Island ahead of Lorenzo in third. Meanwhile, let's say Lorenzo loafs his way to a second and two thirds heading to Valencia. A fifth place finish there would close out the title. However, as many of you continue to remind me, a lot can happen on two wheels at 160 mph.

So, not only must Dani Pedrosa approach perfection for the rest of the year, he must hope for bad luck, i.e., mechanical issues, for Lorenzo. The resulting pressure to perform, so to speak, is so intense that most riders fold. Unless Dani Pedrosa is simply faster than everyone out there for the remaining races, he is going to have dogfights coming at him from not only Lorenzo, but teammate Casey Stoner, who is returning to action at Motegi with only a handful of races left to cement his legacy, the occasional Valentino Rossi, and the Bobsey twins over at Tech 3 Yamaha, Andrea Dovizioso and Cal Crutchlow. Think Honda rookie Stefan Bradl wouldn't like to punk Dani Pedrosa, the legendary Dani Pedrosa, in his award-winning rookie season?

It is with divided loyalties that MotoGP blows into The Land of the Rising Sun for the first round of its annual three-round Pacific swing. Fans excited by the prospect of a meaningful final tilt, a Game 7, in Valencia are virtually forced to project bad karma at factory Yamaha numero uno Jorge Lorenzo. Unless he suffers some major misfortune, it will be almost impossible for him not to clinch the 2012 championship before returning to Spain in November.

In my half-baked Theory of MotoGP, the numbers are working so hard against Repsol Honda hope Dani Pedrosa that he will be forced to press. In order to have a thought of knocking off Lorenzo in Valencia, Pedrosa must virtually run the table. Win three rounds and place at Phillip Island ahead of Lorenzo in third. Meanwhile, let's say Lorenzo loafs his way to a second and two thirds heading to Valencia. A fifth place finish there would close out the title. However, as many of you continue to remind me, a lot can happen on two wheels at 160 mph.

So, not only must Dani Pedrosa approach perfection for the rest of the year, he must hope for bad luck, i.e., mechanical issues, for Lorenzo. The resulting pressure to perform, so to speak, is so intense that most riders fold. Unless Dani Pedrosa is simply faster than everyone out there for the remaining races, he is going to have dogfights coming at him from not only Lorenzo, but teammate Casey Stoner, who is returning to action at Motegi with only a handful of races left to cement his legacy, the occasional Valentino Rossi, and the Bobsey twins over at Tech 3 Yamaha, Andrea Dovizioso and Cal Crutchlow. Think Honda rookie Stefan Bradl wouldn't like to punk Dani Pedrosa, the legendary Dani Pedrosa, in his award-winning rookie season?

Aragon really is a beautiful place. The stacked stone wall looks like something straight out of the Inquisition. Running Round 14 against this backdrop reminds us we're no longer in Kansas. The electronic billboard at the other end provides a stunning contrast, from medieval to ultra-modern.

Aragon, as mentioned more than once in this space, is a Yamaha track. Yamaha loves Aragon: four of the top six qualifiers, two each in rows one and two. First Aragon pole for Lorenzo, on a sweet late QP steal from Pedrosa. Four of the top five bikes in warm-up. Dani and Stefan vs. the entire Yamaha nation, and with Pedrosa pressing after the crushing debacle in Misano.

If MotoGP were, indeed, a team sport, as terms such as "Factory Yamaha Team" imply, Spies would have gone out and tried to block Pedrosa, roller derby-style. Spies, in fact, would have liked nothing better than to beat Lorenzo. Other than to beat the two satellite Yamaha ballers who once again smoked him, Dovizioso and Crutchlow.

Aragon really is a beautiful place. The stacked stone wall looks like something straight out of the Inquisition. Running Round 14 against this backdrop reminds us we're no longer in Kansas. The electronic billboard at the other end provides a stunning contrast, from medieval to ultra-modern.

Aragon, as mentioned more than once in this space, is a Yamaha track. Yamaha loves Aragon: four of the top six qualifiers, two each in rows one and two. First Aragon pole for Lorenzo, on a sweet late QP steal from Pedrosa. Four of the top five bikes in warm-up. Dani and Stefan vs. the entire Yamaha nation, and with Pedrosa pressing after the crushing debacle in Misano.

If MotoGP were, indeed, a team sport, as terms such as "Factory Yamaha Team" imply, Spies would have gone out and tried to block Pedrosa, roller derby-style. Spies, in fact, would have liked nothing better than to beat Lorenzo. Other than to beat the two satellite Yamaha ballers who once again smoked him, Dovizioso and Crutchlow.

Roughly one minute into Round 13 at Misano, the 2012 MotoGP championship contest seems to have ended with a bang. A comedy of errors at the start resulted in Repsol Honda ace Dani Pedrosa having to initiate hostilities from the last row, which he did with his usual vengeance. Slicing through the field like a hot knife through butter, his title hopes came to an inglorious end when he was unseated by Hectic Hector Barbera in Turn Six. As they say at Wimbledon, game, set and match.

Factory Yamaha smooth operator Jorge Lorenzo needs do little more than finish the remaining five races in an upright position to claim his second world championship in three years. Doing the math, Pedrosa needs to make up roughly eight points per round. Assume, for the sake of argument, that Pedrosa wins four of the last five races, a superhuman feat made even more unlikely by the fact that teammate Casey Stoner wins in Australia every year. Four firsts and a second would add 120 points to Pedrosa's current 232, for a career-best season total of 352.

Lorenzo currently stands at 270. For him to reach 353, he would need four thirds and a second. Other than the debacle at Assen, in which he was taken out by Alvaro Bautista, Lorenzo hasn't finished lower than second all season, and has six wins to boot. Pedrosa's only hope is that Lorenzo fails to finish a race or two, which is possible, but unlikely.

Roughly one minute into Round 13 at Misano, the 2012 MotoGP championship contest seems to have ended with a bang. A comedy of errors at the start resulted in Repsol Honda ace Dani Pedrosa having to initiate hostilities from the last row, which he did with his usual vengeance. Slicing through the field like a hot knife through butter, his title hopes came to an inglorious end when he was unseated by Hectic Hector Barbera in Turn Six. As they say at Wimbledon, game, set and match.

Factory Yamaha smooth operator Jorge Lorenzo needs do little more than finish the remaining five races in an upright position to claim his second world championship in three years. Doing the math, Pedrosa needs to make up roughly eight points per round. Assume, for the sake of argument, that Pedrosa wins four of the last five races, a superhuman feat made even more unlikely by the fact that teammate Casey Stoner wins in Australia every year. Four firsts and a second would add 120 points to Pedrosa's current 232, for a career-best season total of 352.

Lorenzo currently stands at 270. For him to reach 353, he would need four thirds and a second. Other than the debacle at Assen, in which he was taken out by Alvaro Bautista, Lorenzo hasn't finished lower than second all season, and has six wins to boot. Pedrosa's only hope is that Lorenzo fails to finish a race or two, which is possible, but unlikely.

Trying to pass 20 riders on the first lap, the seething Spaniard was unseated by Pramac Ducati hazard Hector Barbera, ending Pedrosa's day and perhaps the 2012 championship contest in one fell swoop. It also cleared the way to the podium for Yamaha's Jorge Lorenzo, Ducati icon Valentino Rossi and home team Gresini Honda's Alvaro Bautista, who was joined on the rostrum by the ghost of Marco Simoncelli

Historians will look at the first few minutes of today's race as the deciding moments of the 2012 championship, which is now Jorge Lorenzo's to lose. As the riders waited for the red lights to go out, Karel Abraham, on row four, suddenly raised his hand, either asking for permission to use the restroom or signaling that he had stalled his satellite Ducati. This caused the start to be yellow-flagged and initiated the domino effect that ruined Pedrosa's day and season.

As the riders and teams regrouped for the restart, the rear tire-warmer on Pedrosa's RC213V got jammed, forcing the bike into pit lane, and making him late starting the second sighting lap. Once he made it on to the track, he stalled, then discovered a problem with his front brake, which caused him to trail the safety car back to the starting grid, making him start from the last position on the track. Everyone knows the back of the grid is a dangerous place, full of riders like Abraham, Barbera and CRT backmarkers who are hazards to themselves and those around them. And so it was that Pedrosa, who has had so many seasons ruined by injury and misfortune, saw 2012 come crashing to earth. (Not to mention that, on the initial start, he was stuck with a brolly GUY in Repsol team colors, as bad an omen as any I can think of for a MotoGP contender.)

Trying to pass 20 riders on the first lap, the seething Spaniard was unseated by Pramac Ducati hazard Hector Barbera, ending Pedrosa's day and perhaps the 2012 championship contest in one fell swoop. It also cleared the way to the podium for Yamaha's Jorge Lorenzo, Ducati icon Valentino Rossi and home team Gresini Honda's Alvaro Bautista, who was joined on the rostrum by the ghost of Marco Simoncelli

Historians will look at the first few minutes of today's race as the deciding moments of the 2012 championship, which is now Jorge Lorenzo's to lose. As the riders waited for the red lights to go out, Karel Abraham, on row four, suddenly raised his hand, either asking for permission to use the restroom or signaling that he had stalled his satellite Ducati. This caused the start to be yellow-flagged and initiated the domino effect that ruined Pedrosa's day and season.

As the riders and teams regrouped for the restart, the rear tire-warmer on Pedrosa's RC213V got jammed, forcing the bike into pit lane, and making him late starting the second sighting lap. Once he made it on to the track, he stalled, then discovered a problem with his front brake, which caused him to trail the safety car back to the starting grid, making him start from the last position on the track. Everyone knows the back of the grid is a dangerous place, full of riders like Abraham, Barbera and CRT backmarkers who are hazards to themselves and those around them. And so it was that Pedrosa, who has had so many seasons ruined by injury and misfortune, saw 2012 come crashing to earth. (Not to mention that, on the initial start, he was stuck with a brolly GUY in Repsol team colors, as bad an omen as any I can think of for a MotoGP contender.)

One thing is certain heading into Round 13 of the 2012 MotoGP world championship - the title and venue are a mouthful. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the GP Aperol di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini hosted by the scenic and renown Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. (For the purposes of this article, let's just call it Misano.) Less certain, however, is the identity of the rider who will be leading the series come Sunday evening. Less certain that that is which Spaniard will ultimately be the 2012 world champion.

For the first time in recent memory, there is an actual battle for the lead in the premier class. After Round 6 at Silverstone this year, factory Yamaha operator Jorge Lorenzo led Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa by 39 points, and the fight looked to be between Lorenzo and Casey Stoner, Repsol's soon-to-be-ex-world champion. But Stoner went airborne in qualifying at Indianapolis, to the detriment of his right ankle, while Pedrosa has been on a roll of late, having won in Indy and Brno.

With a mere 13 points now separating the two Spanish compatriots, and six rounds to go, we've finally got a horse race in the premier class, similar to what they boast over in Moto2 virtually every year. 2012 is the exception, though, as Alien-in-waiting Marc Marquez leads runner-up Pol Espargaro by a full 48 points. So, while the individual races in Moto2 are usually more competitive than the big bikes, this season's outcome is in extreme doubt in the premier class and a foregone conclusion in Moto2. One of those years.

One thing is certain heading into Round 13 of the 2012 MotoGP world championship - the title and venue are a mouthful. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the GP Aperol di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini hosted by the scenic and renown Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. (For the purposes of this article, let's just call it Misano.) Less certain, however, is the identity of the rider who will be leading the series come Sunday evening. Less certain that that is which Spaniard will ultimately be the 2012 world champion.

For the first time in recent memory, there is an actual battle for the lead in the premier class. After Round 6 at Silverstone this year, factory Yamaha operator Jorge Lorenzo led Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa by 39 points, and the fight looked to be between Lorenzo and Casey Stoner, Repsol's soon-to-be-ex-world champion. But Stoner went airborne in qualifying at Indianapolis, to the detriment of his right ankle, while Pedrosa has been on a roll of late, having won in Indy and Brno.

With a mere 13 points now separating the two Spanish compatriots, and six rounds to go, we've finally got a horse race in the premier class, similar to what they boast over in Moto2 virtually every year. 2012 is the exception, though, as Alien-in-waiting Marc Marquez leads runner-up Pol Espargaro by a full 48 points. So, while the individual races in Moto2 are usually more competitive than the big bikes, this season's outcome is in extreme doubt in the premier class and a foregone conclusion in Moto2. One of those years.

I usually follow that up by saying "my job's probably not as cool as you think it is ... but it's still pretty damn cool." Indeed, most of my work involves following up news leads, tracking down photography, rendering dyno charts and deciphering press announcements to figure out exactly what makes the 2012 Vespa LX different from the 2011 version (a task made further complicated by the fact I can't read Italian.)

Another one of those "pretty damn cool" moments came up recently, as Motorcycle.com was invited to the final weekend of the Canadian Superbike Championship at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, or Mosport International Raceway, as it was formerly known.

I usually follow that up by saying "my job's probably not as cool as you think it is ... but it's still pretty damn cool." Indeed, most of my work involves following up news leads, tracking down photography, rendering dyno charts and deciphering press announcements to figure out exactly what makes the 2012 Vespa LX different from the 2011 version (a task made further complicated by the fact I can't read Italian.)

Another one of those "pretty damn cool" moments came up recently, as Motorcycle.com was invited to the final weekend of the Canadian Superbike Championship at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, or Mosport International Raceway, as it was formerly known.

With teammate Casey Stoner missing in action due to the ankle injury he suffered at Indianapolis, Pedrosa carried the hopes and expectations of the entire Honda nation into the Czech Republic. In Free Practice 1, he recorded the fastest time, with the next four going to Yamahas. In FP2, it was pretty much the same story, with Ben Spies falling to eighth. FP3 virtually duplicated FP1. During qualifying, Pedrosa crashed early, and had to resort to his #2 bike to finish the session. Although he struggled somewhat, he eventually captured the last spot on the front row, wedged in between Yamaha stalwarts Lorenzo, Cal Crutchlow, Spies, and Andrea Dovizioso.

In 2010 and 2011 we watched week after week as Jorge Lorenzo would get double-teamed by Hondas - Pedrosa, Stoner, Dovizioso and Marco Simoncelli all taking turns making life difficult for the Mallorcan. Though Lorenzo prevailed in 2010, the numbers last year were too much to overcome, as Stoner rode his RC213V to the title. As today's race began, I was thinking it wasn't going to be Pedrosa's day, going one-on-four with Yamaha M1s well-suited to the flowing layout of Brno.

With teammate Casey Stoner missing in action due to the ankle injury he suffered at Indianapolis, Pedrosa carried the hopes and expectations of the entire Honda nation into the Czech Republic. In Free Practice 1, he recorded the fastest time, with the next four going to Yamahas. In FP2, it was pretty much the same story, with Ben Spies falling to eighth. FP3 virtually duplicated FP1. During qualifying, Pedrosa crashed early, and had to resort to his #2 bike to finish the session. Although he struggled somewhat, he eventually captured the last spot on the front row, wedged in between Yamaha stalwarts Lorenzo, Cal Crutchlow, Spies, and Andrea Dovizioso.

In 2010 and 2011 we watched week after week as Jorge Lorenzo would get double-teamed by Hondas - Pedrosa, Stoner, Dovizioso and Marco Simoncelli all taking turns making life difficult for the Mallorcan. Though Lorenzo prevailed in 2010, the numbers last year were too much to overcome, as Stoner rode his RC213V to the title. As today's race began, I was thinking it wasn't going to be Pedrosa's day, going one-on-four with Yamaha M1s well-suited to the flowing layout of Brno.

One of the themes of the 2012 MotoGP season has been the bifurcation (great word) of the calendar into Honda- and Yamaha-friendly circuits. (No circuits are very Ducati-friendly these days.) The Repsol Honda team of Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa has recently made hay at the American circuits, both of which are inarguably Honda tracks. Such is not the case with Brno, in the Czech Republic, hosting Round 12 this weekend.

Prior to Casey Stoner's win here last year, the most recent Honda victory at Brno occurred in 2004, when Sete Gibernau drove his 990cc Honda RC211V to the top of the podium. Ducati had two years in a row - 2006 and 2007 - when first Loris Capirossi, then Stoner won here. Otherwise, since 2000, it's been all Yamahas with Max Biaggi, Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo having all stood atop the rostrum at Brno. With its flowing, fast turns, it may be Lorenzo's time this week, for the first time since Mugello, another Yamaha track.

Our crack research department has been busily analyzing the remaining venues and their characteristics to determine, with seven rounds left, which of the Aliens has the advantage where. Of the seven, Yamaha dominates at three - Brno, Misano and Sepang. Honda has been awarded but one - Valencia. Two tracks - Aragon and Phillip Island - have been awarded exclusively to Stoner, whose recent record at both has been unblemished, regardless of what he's been riding. And Motegi, though it should belong to Honda, is a toss-up, with Honda, Yamaha and Ducati having enjoyed fairly even success there over the past decade.

One of the themes of the 2012 MotoGP season has been the bifurcation (great word) of the calendar into Honda- and Yamaha-friendly circuits. (No circuits are very Ducati-friendly these days.) The Repsol Honda team of Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa has recently made hay at the American circuits, both of which are inarguably Honda tracks. Such is not the case with Brno, in the Czech Republic, hosting Round 12 this weekend.

Prior to Casey Stoner's win here last year, the most recent Honda victory at Brno occurred in 2004, when Sete Gibernau drove his 990cc Honda RC211V to the top of the podium. Ducati had two years in a row - 2006 and 2007 - when first Loris Capirossi, then Stoner won here. Otherwise, since 2000, it's been all Yamahas with Max Biaggi, Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo having all stood atop the rostrum at Brno. With its flowing, fast turns, it may be Lorenzo's time this week, for the first time since Mugello, another Yamaha track.

Our crack research department has been busily analyzing the remaining venues and their characteristics to determine, with seven rounds left, which of the Aliens has the advantage where. Of the seven, Yamaha dominates at three - Brno, Misano and Sepang. Honda has been awarded but one - Valencia. Two tracks - Aragon and Phillip Island - have been awarded exclusively to Stoner, whose recent record at both has been unblemished, regardless of what he's been riding. And Motegi, though it should belong to Honda, is a toss-up, with Honda, Yamaha and Ducati having enjoyed fairly even success there over the past decade.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway has proven itself a formidable place to race motorcycles, with the long fast straight and the slow, twisty infield section, serving different asphalt on different sections of the track to keep it from becoming boring. The IMS track is slick and abrasive, reminding one of European bathroom tissue. Bridgestone brings in a bunch of tire choices, asymmetric rears, etc., and everyone has either not enough grip or too much. No blaming it on the weather, which was perfect this year.

On Friday, Hectic Hector Barbera, not four weeks past breaking his leg, climbs on his Pramac Ducati and immediately goes over the top, fracturing three small vertebrae and landing him back in a Spanish hospital. Enter Toni Elias, who would have a better day than he did in Monterey. Cal Crutchlow parted company twice with his Tech 3 Yamaha M1, once in FP1 and somewhat more forcefully in FP3. At various points during the weekend, Alvaro Bautista looked good, a carefree Ben Spies was flying, and even Nicky Hayden, armed with his new one year deal with Ducati, managed to finish 3rd in FP1.

Saturday's QP featured three big high side crashes that affected the outcome of Sunday's race. The first to go was Stoner, who was unable to leave the track under his own power and seemed to have issues (chipped bones and torn tendons, as it turned out) with his right ankle. Practice was briefly red-flagged to remove debris. Shortly after the re-start Spies went over the top of his Yamaha, one of those crashes that look worse than they actually are. Ben would return to practice on his #2 bike and put it into the second row for Sunday.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway has proven itself a formidable place to race motorcycles, with the long fast straight and the slow, twisty infield section, serving different asphalt on different sections of the track to keep it from becoming boring. The IMS track is slick and abrasive, reminding one of European bathroom tissue. Bridgestone brings in a bunch of tire choices, asymmetric rears, etc., and everyone has either not enough grip or too much. No blaming it on the weather, which was perfect this year.

On Friday, Hectic Hector Barbera, not four weeks past breaking his leg, climbs on his Pramac Ducati and immediately goes over the top, fracturing three small vertebrae and landing him back in a Spanish hospital. Enter Toni Elias, who would have a better day than he did in Monterey. Cal Crutchlow parted company twice with his Tech 3 Yamaha M1, once in FP1 and somewhat more forcefully in FP3. At various points during the weekend, Alvaro Bautista looked good, a carefree Ben Spies was flying, and even Nicky Hayden, armed with his new one year deal with Ducati, managed to finish 3rd in FP1.

Saturday's QP featured three big high side crashes that affected the outcome of Sunday's race. The first to go was Stoner, who was unable to leave the track under his own power and seemed to have issues (chipped bones and torn tendons, as it turned out) with his right ankle. Practice was briefly red-flagged to remove debris. Shortly after the re-start Spies went over the top of his Yamaha, one of those crashes that look worse than they actually are. Ben would return to practice on his #2 bike and put it into the second row for Sunday.

The history of MotoGP at Indianapolis is starting to become etched in my mind, more than other circuits since I get better seats here in my home town. The 2008 inaugural race was held during Hurricane Ike, and Yamaha's Valentino Rossi, who became Yamaha's prodigal son this past week, tracked down Repsol Honda homeboy Nicky Hayden in a remarkably "wet race" called after 18 laps. In 2009 Rossi, who could have slammed the door on teammate Lorenzo, instead crashed out, letting Lorenzo win going away, being joined on the podium by Alex de Angelis and Nicky Hayden, the Kentucky Kid's sole visit to the rostrum that season.

Two years ago, Lorenzo led the series comfortably in the scorching heat at Indy and was expected to win at The Brickyard. Pedrosa unexpectedly dominated the race, and Lorenzo managed a satisfactory third, but the day belonged to Ben Spies. The American, in the middle of his Rookie of the Year season on the Tech 3 Yamaha, took the pole late in the QP, ran with the big dogs all day, and held on to second place, the first podium for a satellite Yamaha since Colin Edwards' at Sepang in 2008. Stoner wrestled with his Ducati all weekend, qualifying sixth and crashing out on lap eight.

The history of MotoGP at Indianapolis is starting to become etched in my mind, more than other circuits since I get better seats here in my home town. The 2008 inaugural race was held during Hurricane Ike, and Yamaha's Valentino Rossi, who became Yamaha's prodigal son this past week, tracked down Repsol Honda homeboy Nicky Hayden in a remarkably "wet race" called after 18 laps. In 2009 Rossi, who could have slammed the door on teammate Lorenzo, instead crashed out, letting Lorenzo win going away, being joined on the podium by Alex de Angelis and Nicky Hayden, the Kentucky Kid's sole visit to the rostrum that season.

Two years ago, Lorenzo led the series comfortably in the scorching heat at Indy and was expected to win at The Brickyard. Pedrosa unexpectedly dominated the race, and Lorenzo managed a satisfactory third, but the day belonged to Ben Spies. The American, in the middle of his Rookie of the Year season on the Tech 3 Yamaha, took the pole late in the QP, ran with the big dogs all day, and held on to second place, the first podium for a satellite Yamaha since Colin Edwards' at Sepang in 2008. Stoner wrestled with his Ducati all weekend, qualifying sixth and crashing out on lap eight.

Another contributing factor is the date change. The PPIHC traditionally runs one month earlier in the summer than it did this year. A local wildfire of catastrophic proportions scorched more 18,000 acres and consumed nearly 350 homes the week before the scheduled time of the race. The slightly cooler temperatures, under brilliant sunny skies, surely kept the asphalt cooler than it would have been in July. As one might expect, these factors had profound effects on the racer's setups.

Last year's motorcycle winner, #5 Carlin Dunne on the Ducati Multistrada 1200, eclipsed his 2011 time of 11:11.3 with an unbelievable 9:52.8 to take the 1205 motorcycle class victory. Dunne's Ducati was fast, achieving a maximum of 144 mph on the course.

Second place on a motorcycle with a time of 9:58.3 for 4th place overall went to #555 Greg Tracy on another Ducati Multistrada 1200, while the third-place motorcycle racer, Gary Trachy #357 in the 750 Class, finished with a time of 10:40.8. Travis Newbold led the 450 class with a time of 11:06.6.

Another contributing factor is the date change. The PPIHC traditionally runs one month earlier in the summer than it did this year. A local wildfire of catastrophic proportions scorched more 18,000 acres and consumed nearly 350 homes the week before the scheduled time of the race. The slightly cooler temperatures, under brilliant sunny skies, surely kept the asphalt cooler than it would have been in July. As one might expect, these factors had profound effects on the racer's setups.

Last year's motorcycle winner, #5 Carlin Dunne on the Ducati Multistrada 1200, eclipsed his 2011 time of 11:11.3 with an unbelievable 9:52.8 to take the 1205 motorcycle class victory. Dunne's Ducati was fast, achieving a maximum of 144 mph on the course.

Second place on a motorcycle with a time of 9:58.3 for 4th place overall went to #555 Greg Tracy on another Ducati Multistrada 1200, while the third-place motorcycle racer, Gary Trachy #357 in the 750 Class, finished with a time of 10:40.8. Travis Newbold led the 450 class with a time of 11:06.6.

By now you probably know what happened during the race; Lorenzo led the first half with Stoner hot on his heels. The Australian world champion made an inspired tire choice, selecting the softer rear tire while his rivals chose the harder compound. Stoner babied his tires in the first half of the race and made his move on the Spaniard midway through the race and never looked back, winning in convincing fashion. Of course, this is the Cliff Notes version of the race. Check out Bruce Allen's recap for all the details.

This year, we're going to do things a little differently with our Laguna Seca MotoGP coverage. Instead of telling you all about the cool things we saw, we're going to take this opportunity to showcase the fine photography skills of Mike Maez, Motorcycle.com's expert shutterbug.

We were able to get Maez an official photographer's credential, meaning he could go practically anywhere to snap pics. Along with shooting the racers out on track, Maez also captured the scenes in the pits, interesting displays in the paddock and, perhaps most importantly, the many umbrella girls in all their beauty.

By now you probably know what happened during the race; Lorenzo led the first half with Stoner hot on his heels. The Australian world champion made an inspired tire choice, selecting the softer rear tire while his rivals chose the harder compound. Stoner babied his tires in the first half of the race and made his move on the Spaniard midway through the race and never looked back, winning in convincing fashion. Of course, this is the Cliff Notes version of the race. Check out Bruce Allen's recap for all the details.

This year, we're going to do things a little differently with our Laguna Seca MotoGP coverage. Instead of telling you all about the cool things we saw, we're going to take this opportunity to showcase the fine photography skills of Mike Maez, Motorcycle.com's expert shutterbug.

We were able to get Maez an official photographer's credential, meaning he could go practically anywhere to snap pics. Along with shooting the racers out on track, Maez also captured the scenes in the pits, interesting displays in the paddock and, perhaps most importantly, the many umbrella girls in all their beauty.

Bostrom, the youngest of the three (yes, three) Bostrom brothers got his first taste of the bike the week prior during testing at Thunderhill Raceway. Not sure what to expect from an electric motorcycle he told the team, "If I don't like it, I'm out." Thankfully, E-Boz enjoyed his experience. Had he tried the Brammo entry last year, however, his opinion might be different, as the 2011 machine was powered by a 90-hp motor. With the help of a new motor from Parker-Hanifin, the 2012 machine pumps a claimed 140 hp to the rear wheel.

Free Practice

Despite the fanfare surrounding the German team and Bostrom, it was the team Barracuda/Lightning effort with pilot Michael Barnes that topped the timesheets in free practice with a 1:35.0, more than four seconds faster than second place Steve Atlas (1:39.2) on the other Team Icon Brammo machine. Barnes' teammate, local rider and Isle of Man competitor Tom Montano (1:43.1), placed third. Himmelmann (1:44.2) and Poensgen (1:53.4) rounded out the top five.

Bostrom, the youngest of the three (yes, three) Bostrom brothers got his first taste of the bike the week prior during testing at Thunderhill Raceway. Not sure what to expect from an electric motorcycle he told the team, "If I don't like it, I'm out." Thankfully, E-Boz enjoyed his experience. Had he tried the Brammo entry last year, however, his opinion might be different, as the 2011 machine was powered by a 90-hp motor. With the help of a new motor from Parker-Hanifin, the 2012 machine pumps a claimed 140 hp to the rear wheel.

Free Practice

Despite the fanfare surrounding the German team and Bostrom, it was the team Barracuda/Lightning effort with pilot Michael Barnes that topped the timesheets in free practice with a 1:35.0, more than four seconds faster than second place Steve Atlas (1:39.2) on the other Team Icon Brammo machine. Barnes' teammate, local rider and Isle of Man competitor Tom Montano (1:43.1), placed third. Himmelmann (1:44.2) and Poensgen (1:53.4) rounded out the top five.

I knew something weird was happening in Monterey when I glanced at the results of the first two practice sessions and noticed that the top five spots in each were identical. FP3 was mostly fogged out, and the Repsol Honda team blew it off in the garage playing euchre rather than tackling The Corkscrew blindfolded. Lorenzo snatched the pole from Stoner on the last lap of the QP, and then Stoner topped Lorenzo in the warm-up practice on Sunday morning by a full 1/1000th of a second, after waiting an hour for the fog to clear. Although the podium duplicated last year's rostrum, the lead-up to the weekend was vastly different.

Recall last year. Heading to California, Stoner was enjoying a string of seven straight podium finishes, and led defending champion Lorenzo by 15 points. Lorenzo had been having a great season until he crashed out at Silverstone and finished a lowly sixth at Assen. Curiously, on Saturday Stoner had given himself virtually no chance of winning, all but conceding the round to his Alien rivals, a master class in sandbagging.

Despite having amassed a total of eight (8) points in the last two rounds and trailing Lorenzo by 37, Stoner started this weekend quick and got better each day. Curiously, he was the only one of the top six riders to choose the softer option rear tire on a day when the sun was quickly heating the racing surface. My thought was he would try to jump out to the lead and hope his tire held up long enough to fend off his challengers late in the race. And though he was able to go through on Pedrosa on lap 3, it took him 22 laps to pass Lorenzo. At that point I, for one, expected the Spaniard to win the race, thinking that his rear tire would outlast Stoner's.

I knew something weird was happening in Monterey when I glanced at the results of the first two practice sessions and noticed that the top five spots in each were identical. FP3 was mostly fogged out, and the Repsol Honda team blew it off in the garage playing euchre rather than tackling The Corkscrew blindfolded. Lorenzo snatched the pole from Stoner on the last lap of the QP, and then Stoner topped Lorenzo in the warm-up practice on Sunday morning by a full 1/1000th of a second, after waiting an hour for the fog to clear. Although the podium duplicated last year's rostrum, the lead-up to the weekend was vastly different.

Recall last year. Heading to California, Stoner was enjoying a string of seven straight podium finishes, and led defending champion Lorenzo by 15 points. Lorenzo had been having a great season until he crashed out at Silverstone and finished a lowly sixth at Assen. Curiously, on Saturday Stoner had given himself virtually no chance of winning, all but conceding the round to his Alien rivals, a master class in sandbagging.

Despite having amassed a total of eight (8) points in the last two rounds and trailing Lorenzo by 37, Stoner started this weekend quick and got better each day. Curiously, he was the only one of the top six riders to choose the softer option rear tire on a day when the sun was quickly heating the racing surface. My thought was he would try to jump out to the lead and hope his tire held up long enough to fend off his challengers late in the race. And though he was able to go through on Pedrosa on lap 3, it took him 22 laps to pass Lorenzo. At that point I, for one, expected the Spaniard to win the race, thinking that his rear tire would outlast Stoner's.

The U.S. Grand Prix, hosted by the historic Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, welcomes "those magnificent men in their flying machines" to kick off the second half of the 2012 season. Yamaha CEO for a Day and 2010 world champion Jorge Lorenzo has recently put a little room between himself and the Repsol Hondas of challengers Dani Pedrosa and Casey Stoner. Over the past three seasons, no less than four riders have failed to finish this race each year, a reminder of how perilous life can be in the hills of the Monterey Peninsula; a single "MotoGP moment" could easily shake up the 2012 standings.

Recent History

The 2009 race here was fascinating, as Pedrosa disappeared from view at the start, while then-teammates Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi duked it out all day in a great battle for second place. Rossi, that year's ultimate champion, dispatched Lorenzo late in the day and set his formidable sights on Pedrosa, whose enormous early lead shrank steadily over the final 10 laps. At the finish, Rossi trailed the Spaniard by only a third of a second, with Lorenzo another few seconds farther back. Stoner was wrestling the Ducati and lactose intolerance that year and still managed a respectable fourth. Andrea Dovizioso, Pedrosa's Repsol Honda teammate, crashed out early, joining three other riders in the gravel that day.

The U.S. Grand Prix, hosted by the historic Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, welcomes "those magnificent men in their flying machines" to kick off the second half of the 2012 season. Yamaha CEO for a Day and 2010 world champion Jorge Lorenzo has recently put a little room between himself and the Repsol Hondas of challengers Dani Pedrosa and Casey Stoner. Over the past three seasons, no less than four riders have failed to finish this race each year, a reminder of how perilous life can be in the hills of the Monterey Peninsula; a single "MotoGP moment" could easily shake up the 2012 standings.

Recent History

The 2009 race here was fascinating, as Pedrosa disappeared from view at the start, while then-teammates Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi duked it out all day in a great battle for second place. Rossi, that year's ultimate champion, dispatched Lorenzo late in the day and set his formidable sights on Pedrosa, whose enormous early lead shrank steadily over the final 10 laps. At the finish, Rossi trailed the Spaniard by only a third of a second, with Lorenzo another few seconds farther back. Stoner was wrestling the Ducati and lactose intolerance that year and still managed a respectable fourth. Andrea Dovizioso, Pedrosa's Repsol Honda teammate, crashed out early, joining three other riders in the gravel that day.

If you're an astute Motorcycle.com follower, you'll remember our Recharging TTXGP story, where we caught up with Azhar Hussain of TTXGP during the first round of the North American series at Infineon Raceway. As part of an effort to expand the grid sizes for each event, a new class dubbed "E-Superstock" was introduced with the help of Kenyon Kluge of Zero Motorcycles.

Kluge, a former AMA competitor, now Director of Electrical Engineering at Zero, had the idea to race production e-bikes - models currently for sale in dealerships - much like they do with gas-powered production motorcycles. Hussain liked the idea, and thus E-Superstock was born, with the class debuting at Infineon. We caught up with Kluge at Sonoma, and I half-jokingly offered my services should he need a rider for one of the four Zero S racebikes he brings to every event - the same four bikes that currently make up the class at the moment.

Not expecting much to come of my offer, two weeks before the second round of the series at Portland International Raceway, Kluge, in mild desperation, decided to call my bluff. "Do you want to ride one of the bikes? My original riders can't make it." Not one to pass on a golden opportunity, I accepted.

If you're an astute Motorcycle.com follower, you'll remember our Recharging TTXGP story, where we caught up with Azhar Hussain of TTXGP during the first round of the North American series at Infineon Raceway. As part of an effort to expand the grid sizes for each event, a new class dubbed "E-Superstock" was introduced with the help of Kenyon Kluge of Zero Motorcycles.

Kluge, a former AMA competitor, now Director of Electrical Engineering at Zero, had the idea to race production e-bikes - models currently for sale in dealerships - much like they do with gas-powered production motorcycles. Hussain liked the idea, and thus E-Superstock was born, with the class debuting at Infineon. We caught up with Kluge at Sonoma, and I half-jokingly offered my services should he need a rider for one of the four Zero S racebikes he brings to every event - the same four bikes that currently make up the class at the moment.

Not expecting much to come of my offer, two weeks before the second round of the series at Portland International Raceway, Kluge, in mild desperation, decided to call my bluff. "Do you want to ride one of the bikes? My original riders can't make it." Not one to pass on a golden opportunity, I accepted.

Lorenzo looked fast and smooth during the weekend's practice sessions, other than a brief loss of power at the end of qualifying that may have kept him from the pole. Pedrosa, who spent the entire weekend inhaling Lorenzo's exhaust fumes, looked geared up to attempt a reprise of his win a week earlier in Germany, and snatched the pole late in the QP. That Round 9 would hold a few surprises was made clear on Saturday, when Pramac Racing's "Hectic" Hector Barbera qualified third, thus becoming the first satellite Ducati rider ever to start a MotoGP race from the front row. In the process, Mugello 2012 became the first premier class race ever to feature an all-Spanish front row, a fact I find incomprehensible, due to the recent domination of Spanish and Italian riders, both in quantity and ability.

We may have just broken another MotoGP record, by failing to mention Repsol Honda lame duck Casey Stoner until the third paragraph of the story. The Australian, who just two weeks ago was tied for the lead in the 2012 race, qualified a dismal 5th, blaming, in order, the Bridgestone tires, his bike's setup, the slow WiFi in his hotel room, and the wacky arrangement of gates at the Bologna airport. At the start, he got caught in traffic, falling to 8th place. Furiously working his way back from those unfamiliar reaches into 5th on Lap 10, he went hot into the Correntaio corner, known to most of us as Turn 12, went walkabout, fell back to 10th place, and finished a nondescript 8th.

Lorenzo looked fast and smooth during the weekend's practice sessions, other than a brief loss of power at the end of qualifying that may have kept him from the pole. Pedrosa, who spent the entire weekend inhaling Lorenzo's exhaust fumes, looked geared up to attempt a reprise of his win a week earlier in Germany, and snatched the pole late in the QP. That Round 9 would hold a few surprises was made clear on Saturday, when Pramac Racing's "Hectic" Hector Barbera qualified third, thus becoming the first satellite Ducati rider ever to start a MotoGP race from the front row. In the process, Mugello 2012 became the first premier class race ever to feature an all-Spanish front row, a fact I find incomprehensible, due to the recent domination of Spanish and Italian riders, both in quantity and ability.

We may have just broken another MotoGP record, by failing to mention Repsol Honda lame duck Casey Stoner until the third paragraph of the story. The Australian, who just two weeks ago was tied for the lead in the 2012 race, qualified a dismal 5th, blaming, in order, the Bridgestone tires, his bike's setup, the slow WiFi in his hotel room, and the wacky arrangement of gates at the Bologna airport. At the start, he got caught in traffic, falling to 8th place. Furiously working his way back from those unfamiliar reaches into 5th on Lap 10, he went hot into the Correntaio corner, known to most of us as Turn 12, went walkabout, fell back to 10th place, and finished a nondescript 8th.

The first half of the 2012 MotoGP season draws to a close this Sunday at Mugello, one of the most tradition-soaked circuits on the global tour. After last week's stunning finish at the Sachsenring, the Aliens - Repsol Honda pilots Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa, and factory Yamaha heartthrob Jorge Lorenzo - sit clumped together at the top of the standings, breathing down each other's necks. All three are relatively healthy, for a change, all three have enjoyed success at the Italian Grand Prix, and all three are hungry for another win before heading to the United States for Laguna Seca.

Nestled at the foot of the Apennine Mountains, on the only piece of relatively flat ground between Genoa and Naples, Mugello has hosted the Gran Premio d'Italia since 1994. (Between 1991 and 1993 the race alternated between Mugello and Misano, helping to make my point that Misano is, regardless of what the locals say, in Italy.)

The circuit is long and fast, with one of the great main straights in all of racing. It has seen several long winning streaks - Mick Doohan won five in a row between 1994 and 1998, while Valentino Rossi enjoyed seven consecutive wins here between 2002 and 2008. Were I prone to hyperbole, I might assert that The Doctor earned his medical degree at Mugello.

The first half of the 2012 MotoGP season draws to a close this Sunday at Mugello, one of the most tradition-soaked circuits on the global tour. After last week's stunning finish at the Sachsenring, the Aliens - Repsol Honda pilots Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa, and factory Yamaha heartthrob Jorge Lorenzo - sit clumped together at the top of the standings, breathing down each other's necks. All three are relatively healthy, for a change, all three have enjoyed success at the Italian Grand Prix, and all three are hungry for another win before heading to the United States for Laguna Seca.

Nestled at the foot of the Apennine Mountains, on the only piece of relatively flat ground between Genoa and Naples, Mugello has hosted the Gran Premio d'Italia since 1994. (Between 1991 and 1993 the race alternated between Mugello and Misano, helping to make my point that Misano is, regardless of what the locals say, in Italy.)

The circuit is long and fast, with one of the great main straights in all of racing. It has seen several long winning streaks - Mick Doohan won five in a row between 1994 and 1998, while Valentino Rossi enjoyed seven consecutive wins here between 2002 and 2008. Were I prone to hyperbole, I might assert that The Doctor earned his medical degree at Mugello.

The weather had been a factor all weekend, alternating between damp, dry and wet, and led to some surprising practice results. Exhibit A was FP3, run in the wet, in which the top two finishers were CRT plodders Michele Pirro and Mattia Pasini. Qualifying practice closely resembled last week's shocker in Assen, as the wet track suddenly dried out late in the session, and Stoner again snatched the pole to join Pedrosa and Yamaha's Ben Spies on the front row. Row two included the highly ambitious Cal Crutchlow, a limping Lorenzo, and homeboy Stefan Bradl on the LCR Honda. When the red light went out, the sun was shining, the track was hot, and the big dogs had their game faces on, along with hard compound asymmetric rear slicks.

If Losail, Silverstone and Aragon are Yamaha-oriented circuits, the Sachsenring is clearly Honda-friendly. Tight and twisty, it favors the RC213V with its superior corner-exit power. (The 1000cc Yamaha M1 loves long straights, but in Germany the longest is only 700 meters.) As expected, Stoner and Pedrosa took off early, leaving all four Yamahas to scramble for third place, led by an increasingly desperate Spies. The American, whose fortunes are waning, gave way to Lorenzo on Lap 5, and both Andrea Dovizioso and Crutchlow on Lap 9. Though Ben would ultimately finish 4th, his best result of the year, it was more a matter of luck than skill, as we shall see.

On Lap 19, Pedrosa went through on Stoner, but the Australian looked comfortable, apparently biding his time until opportunity arose to break his teammate's little heart once again. With Lorenzo by himself in third, the battle for fourth place was raging. Normally, I don't pay much attention to the 'race within the race' off the lead, but there is much at stake in the Spies-Dovizioso-Crutchlow wars, namely the second factory seat alongside Jorge Lorenzo for the next couple of years. As of this past week, Spies is officially "disappointing" team manager Wilco Zeelenberg.

The weather had been a factor all weekend, alternating between damp, dry and wet, and led to some surprising practice results. Exhibit A was FP3, run in the wet, in which the top two finishers were CRT plodders Michele Pirro and Mattia Pasini. Qualifying practice closely resembled last week's shocker in Assen, as the wet track suddenly dried out late in the session, and Stoner again snatched the pole to join Pedrosa and Yamaha's Ben Spies on the front row. Row two included the highly ambitious Cal Crutchlow, a limping Lorenzo, and homeboy Stefan Bradl on the LCR Honda. When the red light went out, the sun was shining, the track was hot, and the big dogs had their game faces on, along with hard compound asymmetric rear slicks.

If Losail, Silverstone and Aragon are Yamaha-oriented circuits, the Sachsenring is clearly Honda-friendly. Tight and twisty, it favors the RC213V with its superior corner-exit power. (The 1000cc Yamaha M1 loves long straights, but in Germany the longest is only 700 meters.) As expected, Stoner and Pedrosa took off early, leaving all four Yamahas to scramble for third place, led by an increasingly desperate Spies. The American, whose fortunes are waning, gave way to Lorenzo on Lap 5, and both Andrea Dovizioso and Crutchlow on Lap 9. Though Ben would ultimately finish 4th, his best result of the year, it was more a matter of luck than skill, as we shall see.

On Lap 19, Pedrosa went through on Stoner, but the Australian looked comfortable, apparently biding his time until opportunity arose to break his teammate's little heart once again. With Lorenzo by himself in third, the battle for fourth place was raging. Normally, I don't pay much attention to the 'race within the race' off the lead, but there is much at stake in the Spies-Dovizioso-Crutchlow wars, namely the second factory seat alongside Jorge Lorenzo for the next couple of years. As of this past week, Spies is officially "disappointing" team manager Wilco Zeelenberg.

Repsol Honda's #1 rider, Casey Stoner, is a lucky man. He's famous, young, and wealthy, has a beautiful wife and daughter, and reigns at the top of his chosen profession, doing what he loves, or at least likes. While he may have lost his passion for racing, it still beats working for a living. Thanks to the vastly ill-considered antics of San Carlo Honda's Alvaro Bautista at Assen last week, Stoner is also back in contention for the world championship, now tied with Yamaha's Jorge Lorenzo at 140 points. Lucky and good is a wicked combination.

The Sachsenring is one of those old world venues surrounded by tidy Teutonic villages and soaring peaks straight out of The Sound of Music. Between 1962 and 1971 it hosted the East German Grand Prix, which sends a bit of a jangle up the spines of people old enough to remember the old Soviet Bloc. After a bit of a political flap in '71, the German Grand Prix bounced around a number of venues until 1998, when improvements at the Sachsenring lured MotoGP, and where it has been held every year since. Organizers recently signed an extension of the contract with Dorna through 2016. Dass ist eine gute sache, nicht wahr?

Repsol Honda's #1 rider, Casey Stoner, is a lucky man. He's famous, young, and wealthy, has a beautiful wife and daughter, and reigns at the top of his chosen profession, doing what he loves, or at least likes. While he may have lost his passion for racing, it still beats working for a living. Thanks to the vastly ill-considered antics of San Carlo Honda's Alvaro Bautista at Assen last week, Stoner is also back in contention for the world championship, now tied with Yamaha's Jorge Lorenzo at 140 points. Lucky and good is a wicked combination.

The Sachsenring is one of those old world venues surrounded by tidy Teutonic villages and soaring peaks straight out of The Sound of Music. Between 1962 and 1971 it hosted the East German Grand Prix, which sends a bit of a jangle up the spines of people old enough to remember the old Soviet Bloc. After a bit of a political flap in '71, the German Grand Prix bounced around a number of venues until 1998, when improvements at the Sachsenring lured MotoGP, and where it has been held every year since. Organizers recently signed an extension of the contract with Dorna through 2016. Dass ist eine gute sache, nicht wahr?

In spite of an influx of young athletes (including 12-year-olds doing 900s on skateboards on the super ramp) at this year's Games, tenacity and sheer will may have been measured in year's this go around, as the veterans made their mark in 2012.

Dirt bike competitions have long been a staple of the X Games, and this year was no exception. Three different competitions were held inside Staples Center on Friday night, which was kicked off with Best Whip, the competition awarding gold to the rider the fans vote whips their bike the hardest. Although a number of great, breath-taking whips were tossed (including some impressive riding by Spaniard Edgar Torronteras), it was crowd favorite Jeremy "Twitch" Stenberg who earned the fan's vote to defend his gold medal from 2011 in the event. Stenberg has competed in the X Games since 1998, so even at just 30 years of age, he is classified a veteran of sorts.

"I'm not going to lie, it feels pretty awesome. I'm pumped to come back and get my second gold medal and win this," Stenberg said. "It's something I've been wanting to do for a long time."

In spite of an influx of young athletes (including 12-year-olds doing 900s on skateboards on the super ramp) at this year's Games, tenacity and sheer will may have been measured in year's this go around, as the veterans made their mark in 2012.

Dirt bike competitions have long been a staple of the X Games, and this year was no exception. Three different competitions were held inside Staples Center on Friday night, which was kicked off with Best Whip, the competition awarding gold to the rider the fans vote whips their bike the hardest. Although a number of great, breath-taking whips were tossed (including some impressive riding by Spaniard Edgar Torronteras), it was crowd favorite Jeremy "Twitch" Stenberg who earned the fan's vote to defend his gold medal from 2011 in the event. Stenberg has competed in the X Games since 1998, so even at just 30 years of age, he is classified a veteran of sorts.

"I'm not going to lie, it feels pretty awesome. I'm pumped to come back and get my second gold medal and win this," Stenberg said. "It's something I've been wanting to do for a long time."

In the practices leading up to today's race, it appeared that Stoner was well off his normal game. Though he had the third fastest lap in FP1, the best he could manage in FP2 was 10th; in FP3 he finished 6th after a huge high side in the wet. The qualifying practice on Friday was remarkable, as Stoner was loitering in 9th position when rain interrupted things, sending everyone back to their garages. With less than five minutes remaining in the session, the sun came back out, the bikes re-entered the track, and Stoner appeared to have been fired out of a howitzer. He warmed up his tires on the first lap, and then jumped into third place on the second go-around. His third and final lap was a blur, and launched him onto the pole in front of Pedrosa and Lorenzo.

Stoner's QP had me thinking about Marco Simoncelli in 2011. Sic had a habit of laying down one extremely fast qualifying lap and starting from the front row of the grid. From there, he generally crashed out or destroyed his tires, typically finishing worse than he started. The first turn incident today, with Bautista playing the part of the reckless amateur, was under investigation by Race Direction immediately, and we'll surely hear more about it later this week. All we know at this moment is that Lorenzo's comfortable lead in the 2012 championship is history.

In the practices leading up to today's race, it appeared that Stoner was well off his normal game. Though he had the third fastest lap in FP1, the best he could manage in FP2 was 10th; in FP3 he finished 6th after a huge high side in the wet. The qualifying practice on Friday was remarkable, as Stoner was loitering in 9th position when rain interrupted things, sending everyone back to their garages. With less than five minutes remaining in the session, the sun came back out, the bikes re-entered the track, and Stoner appeared to have been fired out of a howitzer. He warmed up his tires on the first lap, and then jumped into third place on the second go-around. His third and final lap was a blur, and launched him onto the pole in front of Pedrosa and Lorenzo.

Stoner's QP had me thinking about Marco Simoncelli in 2011. Sic had a habit of laying down one extremely fast qualifying lap and starting from the front row of the grid. From there, he generally crashed out or destroyed his tires, typically finishing worse than he started. The first turn incident today, with Bautista playing the part of the reckless amateur, was under investigation by Race Direction immediately, and we'll surely hear more about it later this week. All we know at this moment is that Lorenzo's comfortable lead in the 2012 championship is history.

The Iveco TT Assen, a.k.a. The Dutch Grand Prix, going off this weekend for the 82nd time, is described on the MotoGP website as "the most prestigious event in Dutch motorsports", drawing "hundreds of thousands of fanatical spectators." While this may be true, what is beyond dispute is that the last three races have been high speed parades, due to the narrow track and relative scarcity of passing opportunities. All of which suggests that if you want to podium at The Cathedral, you'd better get off to a strong start.

The 2009 tilt saw Casey Stoner, then toiling for Marlboro Ducati, jump out to an early lead that lasted only until Lap 2, when Fiat Yamaha ace Valentino Rossi passed him. Rossi's teammate Jorge Lorenzo went through on Stoner on Lap 5, and that was your podium. At the time, I was comparing Rossi to Tiger Woods, both of whom were kings of their respective universes. (Ironic, isn't it, that the comparison still applies, as both have returned roughly to earth, although by different routes.) The Repsol Hondas had a dismal day, as both Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso crashed out early. Supporting my thesis, the qualifying order that day was Rossi #1, Lorenzo #3 and Stoner #4.

In 2010, Lorenzo was in charge at Assen, on his way to the world championship; he qualified on the pole and led wire-to-wire. That day, Pedrosa started seventh, but jumped up into second position by Lap 4 and remained there the rest of the day. Stoner, still on the Ducati, started and finished third. (Randy de Puniet had qualified a fluky second on the LCR Honda, but that was the season when he finished worse than he qualified for 17 of the 18 rounds.) The most interesting occurrence was rookie Ben Spies' surprising fourth-place finish onboard the Tech 3 Yamaha. Further supporting my thesis, I will note that Ben had qualified fourth.

The Iveco TT Assen, a.k.a. The Dutch Grand Prix, going off this weekend for the 82nd time, is described on the MotoGP website as "the most prestigious event in Dutch motorsports", drawing "hundreds of thousands of fanatical spectators." While this may be true, what is beyond dispute is that the last three races have been high speed parades, due to the narrow track and relative scarcity of passing opportunities. All of which suggests that if you want to podium at The Cathedral, you'd better get off to a strong start.

The 2009 tilt saw Casey Stoner, then toiling for Marlboro Ducati, jump out to an early lead that lasted only until Lap 2, when Fiat Yamaha ace Valentino Rossi passed him. Rossi's teammate Jorge Lorenzo went through on Stoner on Lap 5, and that was your podium. At the time, I was comparing Rossi to Tiger Woods, both of whom were kings of their respective universes. (Ironic, isn't it, that the comparison still applies, as both have returned roughly to earth, although by different routes.) The Repsol Hondas had a dismal day, as both Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso crashed out early. Supporting my thesis, the qualifying order that day was Rossi #1, Lorenzo #3 and Stoner #4.

In 2010, Lorenzo was in charge at Assen, on his way to the world championship; he qualified on the pole and led wire-to-wire. That day, Pedrosa started seventh, but jumped up into second position by Lap 4 and remained there the rest of the day. Stoner, still on the Ducati, started and finished third. (Randy de Puniet had qualified a fluky second on the LCR Honda, but that was the season when he finished worse than he qualified for 17 of the 18 rounds.) The most interesting occurrence was rookie Ben Spies' surprising fourth-place finish onboard the Tech 3 Yamaha. Further supporting my thesis, I will note that Ben had qualified fourth.

The lead-up to today's race was more interesting than usual. There was Ducati's Valentino Rossi topping the chart in a wet FP1. A dry FP2 concluded with Spies, Bautista, Ducati #2 Nicky Hayden and LCR Honda rookie Stefan Bradl occupying spots two through five and Rossi in 11th. The only thing fans would remember about FP3 is hometown fave Cal Crutchlow going ragdoll falling off his Tech 3 Yamaha, ending up in the gravel facing Coventry with his dislocated left ankle pointing toward Oxford. While everyone else was out qualifying, Cal was in the hospital having things put back in their rightful places, and it appeared he would miss his second consecutive home race. But as they say in Chicago, "Not so fast."

Drama Here, Drama There, Drama Everywhere

To the delight of the fans, Crutchlow today appeared on the grid, albeit in the 20 hole, stiff upper lip firmly in place. Early on, it was Spies, Repsol ace Casey Stoner, polesitter Bautista and Hayden emerging in the first group, with Lorenzo laying back and Stoner's Alien teammate Dani Pedrosa uncharacteristically getting caught in traffic. Crutchlow's Tech 3 Yamaha teammate Andrea Dovizioso, featured and thoroughly jinxed in this space last week, was unable to break into the top five after starting a surprising eighth. Dovi would later crash, pit for some minor repairs, and finish a lap down, out of the points.

The lead-up to today's race was more interesting than usual. There was Ducati's Valentino Rossi topping the chart in a wet FP1. A dry FP2 concluded with Spies, Bautista, Ducati #2 Nicky Hayden and LCR Honda rookie Stefan Bradl occupying spots two through five and Rossi in 11th. The only thing fans would remember about FP3 is hometown fave Cal Crutchlow going ragdoll falling off his Tech 3 Yamaha, ending up in the gravel facing Coventry with his dislocated left ankle pointing toward Oxford. While everyone else was out qualifying, Cal was in the hospital having things put back in their rightful places, and it appeared he would miss his second consecutive home race. But as they say in Chicago, "Not so fast."

Drama Here, Drama There, Drama Everywhere

To the delight of the fans, Crutchlow today appeared on the grid, albeit in the 20 hole, stiff upper lip firmly in place. Early on, it was Spies, Repsol ace Casey Stoner, polesitter Bautista and Hayden emerging in the first group, with Lorenzo laying back and Stoner's Alien teammate Dani Pedrosa uncharacteristically getting caught in traffic. Crutchlow's Tech 3 Yamaha teammate Andrea Dovizioso, featured and thoroughly jinxed in this space last week, was unable to break into the top five after starting a surprising eighth. Dovi would later crash, pit for some minor repairs, and finish a lap down, out of the points.

Round Six of the 2012 MotoGP season erupts this weekend at Silverstone, home of the Hertz British Grand Prix. According to Wikipedia, the village of Silverstone, on the map since at least the 11th century, boasts both a pub and a church. (!) So much for the local attractions. The newly spruced-up racing circuit is one of the longest and fastest on the calendar, comparable in length to Losail and Aragon. But since it almost always rains for the race, it's a little misleading to call it "fast." Perhaps a better adjective would be "clean."

You'd think that in 1200 years the locals would be able to come up with more than a church and a bar. (Since rain can often delay construction projects, it's possible that many more structures are on the drawing boards, some perhaps for generations.) In any event, they're going to race motorcycles at Silverstone this weekend in what is being billed as a "crucial" stop on the MotoGP calendar. Crucial? Maybe. Interesting? Almost always.

Round Six of the 2012 MotoGP season erupts this weekend at Silverstone, home of the Hertz British Grand Prix. According to Wikipedia, the village of Silverstone, on the map since at least the 11th century, boasts both a pub and a church. (!) So much for the local attractions. The newly spruced-up racing circuit is one of the longest and fastest on the calendar, comparable in length to Losail and Aragon. But since it almost always rains for the race, it's a little misleading to call it "fast." Perhaps a better adjective would be "clean."

You'd think that in 1200 years the locals would be able to come up with more than a church and a bar. (Since rain can often delay construction projects, it's possible that many more structures are on the drawing boards, some perhaps for generations.) In any event, they're going to race motorcycles at Silverstone this weekend in what is being billed as a "crucial" stop on the MotoGP calendar. Crucial? Maybe. Interesting? Almost always.

Since its 2009 debut at the Isle of Man, TTXGP has grown from a single-lap race of the island circuit (documented by Mark Neale's Charge) to encompass three national series on as many continents culminating in a world championship round in Daytona Beach, Florida, during Biketoberfest.

We sat down with TTXGP's Azhar Hussain to discuss the future of electric motorcycle racing on these shores and around the world, and we were pleased to hear hints of TTXGP combining forces with the FIM's e-Power series in the years to come.

In addition to the foreseeable hardships of launching a new racing series using alternative propulsion, TTXGP was replaced at the TT in 2010 with the organizing body's own TT Zero event. TTXGP has also faced a challenge from the FIM's competing zero-emissions series, the e-Power International Championship.

Since its 2009 debut at the Isle of Man, TTXGP has grown from a single-lap race of the island circuit (documented by Mark Neale's Charge) to encompass three national series on as many continents culminating in a world championship round in Daytona Beach, Florida, during Biketoberfest.

We sat down with TTXGP's Azhar Hussain to discuss the future of electric motorcycle racing on these shores and around the world, and we were pleased to hear hints of TTXGP combining forces with the FIM's e-Power series in the years to come.

In addition to the foreseeable hardships of launching a new racing series using alternative propulsion, TTXGP was replaced at the TT in 2010 with the organizing body's own TT Zero event. TTXGP has also faced a challenge from the FIM's competing zero-emissions series, the e-Power International Championship.

During practice this weekend, it appeared that Repsol's defending world champion Casey Stoner was preparing to enjoy his fifth consecutive premier class win on Spanish soil. Other than FP2, which he mailed in, he was quick all weekend, and qualified on the pole for the second time this year.

At the start, he and teammate Pedrosa essentially traded spots, Dani rocketing from fifth to first while Stoner got caught in traffic and fell back to sixth. Had this occurred last season, we might have spent the day watching the Australian eventually claw his way back up into the lead. But the 2012 lame duck only made it back as far as fourth place, finishing off the podium for the first time since having been unseated by Ducati's Valentino Rossi last year in Jerez.

Taking Stoner's usual place on the podium today, instead, was Tech 3 Yamaha pilot Andrea Dovizioso, for his first rostrum with Yamaha and the first by a satellite rider since Marco Simoncelli's second place finish last year at Phillip Island. Dovi's teammate Cal Crutchlow worked hard all day, dogging Stoner for most of it, but was unable to go through into fourth, and now trails Dovizioso for the season by four points. Today's ride, it would seem, elevates Dovizioso to the top spot in the race to take over a Honda or Yamaha factory ride for 2013. At least for the moment.

During practice this weekend, it appeared that Repsol's defending world champion Casey Stoner was preparing to enjoy his fifth consecutive premier class win on Spanish soil. Other than FP2, which he mailed in, he was quick all weekend, and qualified on the pole for the second time this year.

At the start, he and teammate Pedrosa essentially traded spots, Dani rocketing from fifth to first while Stoner got caught in traffic and fell back to sixth. Had this occurred last season, we might have spent the day watching the Australian eventually claw his way back up into the lead. But the 2012 lame duck only made it back as far as fourth place, finishing off the podium for the first time since having been unseated by Ducati's Valentino Rossi last year in Jerez.

Taking Stoner's usual place on the podium today, instead, was Tech 3 Yamaha pilot Andrea Dovizioso, for his first rostrum with Yamaha and the first by a satellite rider since Marco Simoncelli's second place finish last year at Phillip Island. Dovi's teammate Cal Crutchlow worked hard all day, dogging Stoner for most of it, but was unable to go through into fourth, and now trails Dovizioso for the season by four points. Today's ride, it would seem, elevates Dovizioso to the top spot in the race to take over a Honda or Yamaha factory ride for 2013. At least for the moment.

Early June brings Round Five of the 2012 MotoGP season, which storms into bucolic Montmeló, Spain for the Gran Premi Aperol de Catalunya. Jorge Lorenzo, fronting the factory Yamaha team, leads rival Casey Stoner in the championship by 8 points, on the strength of a formidable win two weeks ago in France.

Repsol Honda lame duck Stoner, on the other hand, announced his impending retirement at Le Mans and went on to finish a disappointing third, getting seriously worked on the last lap of the race by Valentino Rossi and the Ducati Desmosedici. A reversal of fortune may be underway. Or not.

You'd have to speak Spanish to understand why Catalunya only gets a "Gran Premi" while the other three Spanish venues get a "Gran Premio", and I don't. The Circuit de Catalunya, at age 21, is familiar to most of the riders and is a favorite stop on the MotoGP trail. With both the beach and the mountains within easy reach, a pleasant climate, and a storied track, Catalunya is "must-see MotoGP." (One wonders whether the impending collapse of the Spanish banking industry will reduce the number of MotoGP races held in Spain. If so, let's hope Catalunya stays on the calendar.)

Early June brings Round Five of the 2012 MotoGP season, which storms into bucolic Montmeló, Spain for the Gran Premi Aperol de Catalunya. Jorge Lorenzo, fronting the factory Yamaha team, leads rival Casey Stoner in the championship by 8 points, on the strength of a formidable win two weeks ago in France.

Repsol Honda lame duck Stoner, on the other hand, announced his impending retirement at Le Mans and went on to finish a disappointing third, getting seriously worked on the last lap of the race by Valentino Rossi and the Ducati Desmosedici. A reversal of fortune may be underway. Or not.

You'd have to speak Spanish to understand why Catalunya only gets a "Gran Premi" while the other three Spanish venues get a "Gran Premio", and I don't. The Circuit de Catalunya, at age 21, is familiar to most of the riders and is a favorite stop on the MotoGP trail. With both the beach and the mountains within easy reach, a pleasant climate, and a storied track, Catalunya is "must-see MotoGP." (One wonders whether the impending collapse of the Spanish banking industry will reduce the number of MotoGP races held in Spain. If so, let's hope Catalunya stays on the calendar.)

Things, as it turned out, went Lorenzo's way all day. His crew, with only the morning's warm-up practice to put in wet settings, dialed in his M1 perfectly, allowing him to take the early lead. Repsol Honda's swarthy pole-sitting Spaniard, Dani Pedrosa, appeared unable to cope with the weather conditions and faded at the start. Stoner, having been lightning quick all weekend, seemed willing to settle for sloppy seconds; perhaps this was a side-effect of the decision to retire at the absolute top of his game. And Tech 3 Yamaha pilot Andrea Dovizioso, having podiumed in France for the last three years, crashed out with two laps left. At the end of the day, Lorenzo won by almost 10 seconds in a crushing performance.

Of more interest and excitement to the 80,000 French fans in attendance was the masterful performance of Valentino Rossi on the factory Ducati. Since joining the Italian manufacturer at the start of last year, Rossi has been a mere shadow of his once dominating self, with one podium - a third at last year's French GP - to show for his labors.

Rossi had prayed for rain today, and the gods, clearly upset with Stoner, not only granted his wish, but provided it in abundance, along with a set-up that allowed him to move from seventh to fourth position on the first lap. Looking like his old Yamaha self, Rossi spent the day jousting with Pedrosa, Dovizioso, Cal Crutchlow (on the other Tech 3 Yamaha), and Stoner himself. Finally, in a flashback to 2009, Rossi punked Stoner on the last lap to steal second place and restore a little luster to the tarnished Ducati, and Rossi, names. Not to mention throwing his many fans in the crowd into paroxysms of joy.

Things, as it turned out, went Lorenzo's way all day. His crew, with only the morning's warm-up practice to put in wet settings, dialed in his M1 perfectly, allowing him to take the early lead. Repsol Honda's swarthy pole-sitting Spaniard, Dani Pedrosa, appeared unable to cope with the weather conditions and faded at the start. Stoner, having been lightning quick all weekend, seemed willing to settle for sloppy seconds; perhaps this was a side-effect of the decision to retire at the absolute top of his game. And Tech 3 Yamaha pilot Andrea Dovizioso, having podiumed in France for the last three years, crashed out with two laps left. At the end of the day, Lorenzo won by almost 10 seconds in a crushing performance.

Of more interest and excitement to the 80,000 French fans in attendance was the masterful performance of Valentino Rossi on the factory Ducati. Since joining the Italian manufacturer at the start of last year, Rossi has been a mere shadow of his once dominating self, with one podium - a third at last year's French GP - to show for his labors.

Rossi had prayed for rain today, and the gods, clearly upset with Stoner, not only granted his wish, but provided it in abundance, along with a set-up that allowed him to move from seventh to fourth position on the first lap. Looking like his old Yamaha self, Rossi spent the day jousting with Pedrosa, Dovizioso, Cal Crutchlow (on the other Tech 3 Yamaha), and Stoner himself. Finally, in a flashback to 2009, Rossi punked Stoner on the last lap to steal second place and restore a little luster to the tarnished Ducati, and Rossi, names. Not to mention throwing his many fans in the crowd into paroxysms of joy.

Counter-clockwise racing on dirt ovals in our country is known as the Grand National Championship and is dominated by booming V-Twins ridden by dirt-track heroes such as Chris Carr, Scott Parker and Jay Springsteen. Large, loud and a badge of honor for Harley-Davidson, the sport suits our national bigger-is-better ideology.

These two seemingly similar disciplines, however, have nothing more in common than their direction of travel and the terrain upon which their wheels turn.

Speedway bikes are minimalist machines powered by 500cc, air-cooled, carbureted, single-cylinder engines burning methanol. The bikes have no front or rear brakes and while they feature a leading-link front suspension, most are of a rigid rear design.

Counter-clockwise racing on dirt ovals in our country is known as the Grand National Championship and is dominated by booming V-Twins ridden by dirt-track heroes such as Chris Carr, Scott Parker and Jay Springsteen. Large, loud and a badge of honor for Harley-Davidson, the sport suits our national bigger-is-better ideology.

These two seemingly similar disciplines, however, have nothing more in common than their direction of travel and the terrain upon which their wheels turn.

Speedway bikes are minimalist machines powered by 500cc, air-cooled, carbureted, single-cylinder engines burning methanol. The bikes have no front or rear brakes and while they feature a leading-link front suspension, most are of a rigid rear design.

Round Four of the 2012 MotoGP season lifts off this weekend in northern France at historic Le Mans, where they've been racing one thing or another for over 90 years. As expected, the Aliens rule 2012, with Repsol Honda's Casey Stoner and factory Yamaha mullah Jorge Lorenzo sitting at the top of the heap, with a single point separating them, while Stoner's teammate Dani Pedrosa lurks alone in third place, waiting for one of his rivals to screw up. There's plenty of history here for you at Le Mans, with the best riders on earth looking to add to it on Sunday.

For 2010 champ Lorenzo, each week presents the same gros problem - when it comes to the 2012 championship, he's regularly getting double-teamed by the two Repsol Hondas. Bad enough one should have to tangle with Casey Stoner or Dani Pedrosa in the turns at Le Mans, but both of them? It's one of the reasons Lorenzo is unlikely to win the 2012 title. Not only will he spend a lot of time looking at Stoner's rear wheel, but he'll have Pedrosa sniffing at his own. Some weeks it may be Pedrosa running up front and Stoner lurking, but the basic equation doesn't change. There's two of them and one of you.

As we've observed more than once in MotoGP, rule #1 is: beat your teammate. Lorenzo will get a little back in those instances where Stoner and Pedrosa go at each other. But with Ben Spies out of the conversation and the emerging Cal Crutchlow on the satellite Tech3 Yamaha unable, thus far, to crack 3rd position, Lorenzo will be on his own most weeks. And unlike Stoner and Pedrosa, he doesn't have many opportunities to run away from the field, as the Repsol guys occasionally do. Usually, Lorenzo has to stalk people and run them down, and this year he's doing it with someone breathing down his own neck.

Round Four of the 2012 MotoGP season lifts off this weekend in northern France at historic Le Mans, where they've been racing one thing or another for over 90 years. As expected, the Aliens rule 2012, with Repsol Honda's Casey Stoner and factory Yamaha mullah Jorge Lorenzo sitting at the top of the heap, with a single point separating them, while Stoner's teammate Dani Pedrosa lurks alone in third place, waiting for one of his rivals to screw up. There's plenty of history here for you at Le Mans, with the best riders on earth looking to add to it on Sunday.

For 2010 champ Lorenzo, each week presents the same gros problem - when it comes to the 2012 championship, he's regularly getting double-teamed by the two Repsol Hondas. Bad enough one should have to tangle with Casey Stoner or Dani Pedrosa in the turns at Le Mans, but both of them? It's one of the reasons Lorenzo is unlikely to win the 2012 title. Not only will he spend a lot of time looking at Stoner's rear wheel, but he'll have Pedrosa sniffing at his own. Some weeks it may be Pedrosa running up front and Stoner lurking, but the basic equation doesn't change. There's two of them and one of you.

As we've observed more than once in MotoGP, rule #1 is: beat your teammate. Lorenzo will get a little back in those instances where Stoner and Pedrosa go at each other. But with Ben Spies out of the conversation and the emerging Cal Crutchlow on the satellite Tech3 Yamaha unable, thus far, to crack 3rd position, Lorenzo will be on his own most weeks. And unlike Stoner and Pedrosa, he doesn't have many opportunities to run away from the field, as the Repsol guys occasionally do. Usually, Lorenzo has to stalk people and run them down, and this year he's doing it with someone breathing down his own neck.

Drama and racing are synonymous, and last weekend's West Coast Moto Jam at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California, delivered both. The Superbike points lead changed hands once again, a couple of key riders were injured in crashes, and the emergence of new teams were battling up front.

This year's on-track action at AMA Pro Racing events, including the Sonoma round, is only emphasized by the variety of manufacturers competing in the events. Teams like Hero EBR (Erik Buell Racing) and KTM/HMC Racing are challenging the established Japanese OEM machines for the benefit of racing fans.

On Saturday, reigning Superbike champ Josh Hayes set an untouchable pace around the hilly and picturesque 2.32-mile long circuit to notch his 20th premier-class win, tying him with Flyin' Fred Merkel for fourth place on the all-time AMA Superbike win list.

Drama and racing are synonymous, and last weekend's West Coast Moto Jam at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California, delivered both. The Superbike points lead changed hands once again, a couple of key riders were injured in crashes, and the emergence of new teams were battling up front.

This year's on-track action at AMA Pro Racing events, including the Sonoma round, is only emphasized by the variety of manufacturers competing in the events. Teams like Hero EBR (Erik Buell Racing) and KTM/HMC Racing are challenging the established Japanese OEM machines for the benefit of racing fans.

On Saturday, reigning Superbike champ Josh Hayes set an untouchable pace around the hilly and picturesque 2.32-mile long circuit to notch his 20th premier-class win, tying him with Flyin' Fred Merkel for fourth place on the all-time AMA Superbike win list.

It's been decades since there was a decent land war in Europe, but today's match in Portugal, generally one of those silly little neutral countries, provided many of the nationalists in attendance with some happy moments. At the top, as mentioned, Australia defeated Spain.

In the usual 4 vs. 5 race between the Tech 3 Yamahas, Italy finally defeated Great Britain, for the first time this year. Alvaro Bautista, the Spaniard, defeated Italian Valentino Rossi in the interesting dispute for 6th place. But Rossi, in an ironic twist to WWII, defeated the rest of the world for his relatively gratifying 7th place finish.

It's been decades since there was a decent land war in Europe, but today's match in Portugal, generally one of those silly little neutral countries, provided many of the nationalists in attendance with some happy moments. At the top, as mentioned, Australia defeated Spain.

In the usual 4 vs. 5 race between the Tech 3 Yamahas, Italy finally defeated Great Britain, for the first time this year. Alvaro Bautista, the Spaniard, defeated Italian Valentino Rossi in the interesting dispute for 6th place. But Rossi, in an ironic twist to WWII, defeated the rest of the world for his relatively gratifying 7th place finish.

Estoril, the slightly faded jewel of the Portuguese Riviera, hosts Round 3 of the 2012 MotoGP season. It says something about a track that goes from hosting races late in the season (Round 14 in 2009, Round 17 in 2010) to hosting them early (Round 3 in 2011 and 2012.).

A late season race holds the promise of a finish that decisively changes the standings at the top. Early races, on the other hand, tell us little about the state of the chase, unless someone appears to be breaking away from the field, which is not happening so far this year.

With Portugal's national debt approaching that of Greece and Spain, something's gotta give, and so again we visit Estoril early in the year. Still a nice place to watch a race. With Jorge Lorenzo, Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa all showing mid-season form, we will, a bit later, take a look at the second tier of riders to see who might be emerging as a threat to The Big Three.

Estoril, the slightly faded jewel of the Portuguese Riviera, hosts Round 3 of the 2012 MotoGP season. It says something about a track that goes from hosting races late in the season (Round 14 in 2009, Round 17 in 2010) to hosting them early (Round 3 in 2011 and 2012.).

A late season race holds the promise of a finish that decisively changes the standings at the top. Early races, on the other hand, tell us little about the state of the chase, unless someone appears to be breaking away from the field, which is not happening so far this year.

With Portugal's national debt approaching that of Greece and Spain, something's gotta give, and so again we visit Estoril early in the year. Still a nice place to watch a race. With Jorge Lorenzo, Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa all showing mid-season form, we will, a bit later, take a look at the second tier of riders to see who might be emerging as a threat to The Big Three.

The Moto2 race held an hour earlier on Sunday was called after 17 laps due to rain. As the premier class race approached, garages were frantically trying to decide on set-up and tires, not knowing whether conditions would be dry, wet or both. Moto2 winner Pol Espargaro described it as a "lottery." Race Direction simplified everything by declaring it a Dry Race, regardless of the conditions. Bottom line - Stoner, Lorenzo and Pedrosa went out on soft front and rear slicks, while the white-hot Tech 3 Yamahas went out on harder compound. Gavin and Emmett were all a-twitter about tire conservation. The sun came out. The tires, it would turn out, had little to do with anything.

Almost forgot the "sketchy" events. In free practice, Ivan Silva, one of the CRT boys, led an abridged FP1. FP2 found Pedrosa in an unsurprising first, with Rossi - yes, Valentino Rossi - in second place, going on about how he and Nicky could compete in the wet. By FP3, Silva was back in his customary last place, and the three Aliens sat on top.

Qualifying was sketchy only for the convenience of the writer. A better word choice would perhaps be "riveting, for practice." The provisional lead in the QP changed, like, 30 times, while Lorenzo and Pedrosa took swings at one another. (Too bad MotoGP doesn't make Saturday's free, as doing so would definitely increase crowds for Sunday.) Nicky Hayden qualified 3rd, which is totally sketchy. 103,000 people showed up here today, down from 143,000 when I was here in 2010 and before unemployment in Spain hit 24%. Not bad for a country facing Greece-like economic ruin.

The Moto2 race held an hour earlier on Sunday was called after 17 laps due to rain. As the premier class race approached, garages were frantically trying to decide on set-up and tires, not knowing whether conditions would be dry, wet or both. Moto2 winner Pol Espargaro described it as a "lottery." Race Direction simplified everything by declaring it a Dry Race, regardless of the conditions. Bottom line - Stoner, Lorenzo and Pedrosa went out on soft front and rear slicks, while the white-hot Tech 3 Yamahas went out on harder compound. Gavin and Emmett were all a-twitter about tire conservation. The sun came out. The tires, it would turn out, had little to do with anything.

Almost forgot the "sketchy" events. In free practice, Ivan Silva, one of the CRT boys, led an abridged FP1. FP2 found Pedrosa in an unsurprising first, with Rossi - yes, Valentino Rossi - in second place, going on about how he and Nicky could compete in the wet. By FP3, Silva was back in his customary last place, and the three Aliens sat on top.

Qualifying was sketchy only for the convenience of the writer. A better word choice would perhaps be "riveting, for practice." The provisional lead in the QP changed, like, 30 times, while Lorenzo and Pedrosa took swings at one another. (Too bad MotoGP doesn't make Saturday's free, as doing so would definitely increase crowds for Sunday.) Nicky Hayden qualified 3rd, which is totally sketchy. 103,000 people showed up here today, down from 143,000 when I was here in 2010 and before unemployment in Spain hit 24%. Not bad for a country facing Greece-like economic ruin.

Round Two of the 2012 MotoGP season blows into southern Spain for the first of four Spanish tilts, theGran Premio bwin de España. Jerez is usually one of the best races of the year, both in terms of on-track competition and the concentration of Spanish beauties adorning the stands. The guys with the easiest jobs this weekend are the photographers charged with collecting shots of Paddock Girls. Those with the hardest jobs are Casey Stoner and Ben Spies, who need to find a way around the two dominant Spanish riders at their home crib in Andalusia.

This being 2012, we go into these early rounds pretty much expecting to see Jorge Lorenzo, Dani Pedrosa and Casey Stoner on the podium at the end of the day. Certainly, the Repsol Honda duo has done nothing to discourage our belief that they are likely to slug it out all year for the 2012 title. And Lorenzo, on the factory Yamaha, is coming off a great effort in Qatar and looks like the smooth, composed rider who dominated the grid in 2010.

For Pedrosa, one of the hombres always happy to play the "home track" card, Jerez has to be one of his favorite places on the planet. In six premier class outings, he has never finished off the podium, having collected a win and five (5) second-place finishes during that stretch. He would have won here in 2010 had Lorenzo not pulled one of the best comebacks EVER, tracking him down late after being down by a country mile midway through. Lorenzo himself has three podia in four tries, including wins the last two years. But Stoner? Stoner has gotten, well, stoned here pretty much every year. One podium in six trips, not to mention the indignity of having gotten KO'ed last year by an overly aggressive Valentino Rossi.

Round Two of the 2012 MotoGP season blows into southern Spain for the first of four Spanish tilts, theGran Premio bwin de España. Jerez is usually one of the best races of the year, both in terms of on-track competition and the concentration of Spanish beauties adorning the stands. The guys with the easiest jobs this weekend are the photographers charged with collecting shots of Paddock Girls. Those with the hardest jobs are Casey Stoner and Ben Spies, who need to find a way around the two dominant Spanish riders at their home crib in Andalusia.

This being 2012, we go into these early rounds pretty much expecting to see Jorge Lorenzo, Dani Pedrosa and Casey Stoner on the podium at the end of the day. Certainly, the Repsol Honda duo has done nothing to discourage our belief that they are likely to slug it out all year for the 2012 title. And Lorenzo, on the factory Yamaha, is coming off a great effort in Qatar and looks like the smooth, composed rider who dominated the grid in 2010.

For Pedrosa, one of the hombres always happy to play the "home track" card, Jerez has to be one of his favorite places on the planet. In six premier class outings, he has never finished off the podium, having collected a win and five (5) second-place finishes during that stretch. He would have won here in 2010 had Lorenzo not pulled one of the best comebacks EVER, tracking him down late after being down by a country mile midway through. Lorenzo himself has three podia in four tries, including wins the last two years. But Stoner? Stoner has gotten, well, stoned here pretty much every year. One podium in six trips, not to mention the indignity of having gotten KO'ed last year by an overly aggressive Valentino Rossi.

Other than Stoner's presumed domination, few things looked certain heading up to tonight's green flag. Factory Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa enjoyed a miserable qualifying practice and started from the seven hole. Cal Crutchlow, on the satellite Tech 3 Yamaha, became the first Brit to start a MotoGP race from the front row since James Toseland did it here in 2008. (Toseland would go on to finish 11th that year.) Lorenzo's teammate Ben Spies turned his bike over twice in practice. And former icon Valentino Rossi was the last of the four Ducati riders to qualify, barely edging out Colin Edwards and his Suter BMW CRT bike.

The race started uneventfully, with Lorenzo and Stoner in the early lead. Crutchlow and Pedrosa exchanged spots during the first two turns, placing the world back on its axis. Ben Spies, perhaps feeling the effects of his practice mishaps, began falling back from the get-go and would eventually finish 11th, scant seconds in front of Edwards. As expected, three of the four Aliens began to pull away from the field. Once the tires were warm, Stoner went through on Lorenzo on lap 4 with Pedrosa in third place, and the three of them maintained this order for the next 15 laps.

Other than Stoner's presumed domination, few things looked certain heading up to tonight's green flag. Factory Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa enjoyed a miserable qualifying practice and started from the seven hole. Cal Crutchlow, on the satellite Tech 3 Yamaha, became the first Brit to start a MotoGP race from the front row since James Toseland did it here in 2008. (Toseland would go on to finish 11th that year.) Lorenzo's teammate Ben Spies turned his bike over twice in practice. And former icon Valentino Rossi was the last of the four Ducati riders to qualify, barely edging out Colin Edwards and his Suter BMW CRT bike.

The race started uneventfully, with Lorenzo and Stoner in the early lead. Crutchlow and Pedrosa exchanged spots during the first two turns, placing the world back on its axis. Ben Spies, perhaps feeling the effects of his practice mishaps, began falling back from the get-go and would eventually finish 11th, scant seconds in front of Edwards. As expected, three of the four Aliens began to pull away from the field. Once the tires were warm, Stoner went through on Lorenzo on lap 4 with Pedrosa in third place, and the three of them maintained this order for the next 15 laps.

If you enjoyed seeing a lot of The MotoGP Aliens in 2011, you'll love the 2012 edition. 2011 Champion Casey Stoner looks ready to set track records that will last a decade. Yamaha Big Deal Jorge Lorenzo, on the lesser #99 factory bike, is desperate to stay in the conversation for the title, but running uphill, racing at the limit all the time. For the first time ever, the high fliers of MotoGP will be overtaking slower CRT bikes in the turns during the second half of races. Courting disaster, if you ask me.

Factory understudies Ben Spies (Yamaha) and Dani Pedrosa (Honda) will appear on a healthy number of podia. Beyond that, um, not so much. Andrea Dovizioso could podium maybe twice for Tech 3 Yamaha, and partner Cal Crutchlow perhaps once. Someone else may sneak their way onto the podium on a rainy day in Spain - Valentino Rossi? Alvaro Bautista? Riders from the Honda and Yamaha factory teams will occupy 85% of the total podium positions at year end, barring serious injury, which is kind of like barring oxidation. There will be few occasions where three of the top four guys don't spray champagne all over each other.

A huddle of factory and satellite riders - Dovizioso and Crutchlow, fading Ducati chieftains Rossi and Nicky Hayden, and Gresini Honda's Bautista (in the ever-present shadow of the late Marco Simoncelli) - will slug it out for spots four through eight each round. The rest of the usual top 11 finishers will consist of Junior Abraham on dad's Ducati, the dashing, but thus far inconsequential, Hector Barbera on the Pramac Ducati, and German rookie Stefan Bradl on the LCR Honda. One thing all these riders have in common is a deep-seated dread of getting beaten by one of the CRT machines they've let in this year.

If you enjoyed seeing a lot of The MotoGP Aliens in 2011, you'll love the 2012 edition. 2011 Champion Casey Stoner looks ready to set track records that will last a decade. Yamaha Big Deal Jorge Lorenzo, on the lesser #99 factory bike, is desperate to stay in the conversation for the title, but running uphill, racing at the limit all the time. For the first time ever, the high fliers of MotoGP will be overtaking slower CRT bikes in the turns during the second half of races. Courting disaster, if you ask me.

Factory understudies Ben Spies (Yamaha) and Dani Pedrosa (Honda) will appear on a healthy number of podia. Beyond that, um, not so much. Andrea Dovizioso could podium maybe twice for Tech 3 Yamaha, and partner Cal Crutchlow perhaps once. Someone else may sneak their way onto the podium on a rainy day in Spain - Valentino Rossi? Alvaro Bautista? Riders from the Honda and Yamaha factory teams will occupy 85% of the total podium positions at year end, barring serious injury, which is kind of like barring oxidation. There will be few occasions where three of the top four guys don't spray champagne all over each other.

A huddle of factory and satellite riders - Dovizioso and Crutchlow, fading Ducati chieftains Rossi and Nicky Hayden, and Gresini Honda's Bautista (in the ever-present shadow of the late Marco Simoncelli) - will slug it out for spots four through eight each round. The rest of the usual top 11 finishers will consist of Junior Abraham on dad's Ducati, the dashing, but thus far inconsequential, Hector Barbera on the Pramac Ducati, and German rookie Stefan Bradl on the LCR Honda. One thing all these riders have in common is a deep-seated dread of getting beaten by one of the CRT machines they've let in this year.

The historic dry lakebed track is one of the most famous racecourses in the world, with, arguably, the single most famous turn of any racetrack, the Corkscrew. From Turn 8 to Turn 9 a rider descends more than 10 ten stories in a breathtaking left-right transition. To see it on TV is awe-inspiring, to witness the feat in person, when a freight train of unbaffled MotoGP bikes navigate the corkscrew, is a bucket list item for every motorcycle racing enthusiast.

Entering the sweepstakes is easy. Simply "Like" us on Facebook, then take our Reader Survey and you're automatically in the drawing. The contest runs from March 27 through April 30. Motorcycle.com will announce the winner during the first week of May. Two lucky motorcyclists will arrive in Monterey, Friday, July 27 and depart Monday, July 30.

In addition to MotoGP is a variety events inside and outside the track including: a twilight bicycle ride, public auction, fan party, a round of the XDL Championship, autograph sessions, Ducati Island, a custom bike show, concerts on the main stage and bike nights both Friday and Saturday in the Fisherman's Wharf area of Monterey.

The historic dry lakebed track is one of the most famous racecourses in the world, with, arguably, the single most famous turn of any racetrack, the Corkscrew. From Turn 8 to Turn 9 a rider descends more than 10 ten stories in a breathtaking left-right transition. To see it on TV is awe-inspiring, to witness the feat in person, when a freight train of unbaffled MotoGP bikes navigate the corkscrew, is a bucket list item for every motorcycle racing enthusiast.

Entering the sweepstakes is easy. Simply "Like" us on Facebook, then take our Reader Survey and you're automatically in the drawing. The contest runs from March 27 through April 30. Motorcycle.com will announce the winner during the first week of May. Two lucky motorcyclists will arrive in Monterey, Friday, July 27 and depart Monday, July 30.

In addition to MotoGP is a variety events inside and outside the track including: a twilight bicycle ride, public auction, fan party, a round of the XDL Championship, autograph sessions, Ducati Island, a custom bike show, concerts on the main stage and bike nights both Friday and Saturday in the Fisherman's Wharf area of Monterey.